The Exile: Book 2 of the Greenwood Trilogy
by Kathoran
Summary: Princess Aeyera has been in exile for 170 years. Now she travels to the Lonely Mountain with a company of dwarves, but there's a problem: she's sworn to protect The Line of Durin. The elves of Mirkwood have turned their backs on her, and though the dwarves of Erebor have accepted her as one of their own, their feelings may change when they find that she is in love with their prince
1. Chapter 1

It's been nearly a month since the eagles rescued us from Azog the Defiler, and we have travelled nearly a quarter of the distance from the Carrock to the Lonely Mountain. My ankle has healed, and most of the blood I lost after being flogged by the "Great Goblin" in the caves of the Misty Mountains has returned, so that I am not dizzy and lightheaded all the time anymore. The lashes I received have long since scabbed over and are, thanks to Oin's healing skills and the Athelas I found along the way, now nearly all scars, although some scabs remain.

I have grown much closer to the company since Thorin's acceptance of me, and have especially grown closer to the king and to his nephews.

In the last month, I have come to realize that… that I have developed feelings for Kili. Feelings that I should only feel towards a mate: a husband. Feelings that I must ignore for the sake of my promise: to protect the line of Durin. I know as well as anyone that love—if my feelings can be called that—can mess up even the most elaborate and foolproof plan imaginable, and I will not allow my feelings to endanger the lives of the King and his kin.

"Aeyera," Thorin called. I looked up, breaking out of my thoughts, and looked him in the eye. We stood at the same height; he and nephews all were exceptionally tall for dwarves, and I was exceptionally small for an elf. However, the fact that neither of us had a distinct height advantage over the other seemed to heighten his respect for me for whatever reason, and he did not often bring it up. "Take Bilbo and go up the ridge; make sure the orcs haven't caught up to us. You're the smallest and lightest of us; if anyone else went, they'd hear and pick up our trail."

I was slightly affronted at the "you're the smallest" comment but chose to ignore it since he was correct; if any other member of the company tried to scout out the location of an orc pack, the pack would hear them coming from a mile away and we would all be dead. I nodded, looking him in the eye. "Be right back," I said, flipping backwards and landing in a tree with barely a rustle. I grinned and looked down at their stunned faces, nearly laughing at their expressions. "Come on, Bilbo," I whispered, leaping to a neighboring tree.

Since I was an elf and had excellent hearing, I was able to hear Kili as he whispered to his brother, and I was able to hear Fili's quick response. The brothers had moved to the edge of the group and a bit away from the bulk of dwarves; no one without the ears of an elf could have heard them. "She's different… a good different," the former whispered longingly to his elder brother. "She's beautiful."

The latter responded sharply, his voice low. "She is not yours, brother. She never will be; she is an elfling, you are a dwarf prince."

"She's a princess too," he argued. I stayed in my perch, silent, as Bilbo looked around for me, confused but unwilling to call my name in case someone unwelcome might hear his cry. The other dwarves were hidden from sight by the foliage, and I was sure they thought I was long gone by now.

"But she still is an elf. And even if uncle thought it alright for you to court her—which he doesn't—it would not be acceptable."

His hesitant reply reached my ears and made my heart crack. "She could pass for a dwarf…" Kili suggested softly. I looked down. _Never good enough for anyone._

"No she couldn't, Kee," Fili said softly. "She's my friend as well as yours, brother, but… even if she had feelings for you, the two of you could never be together. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," I whispered, looking down. A tear fell from my eye as I leaped down and landed in a crouch next to Bilbo, who had nearly given up hope of ever finding me.

He jumped, startled. "Princess!" He yelped. I heard as rustle and looked up, meeting the blue eyes of Thorin's eldest nephew. They widened at the side of my red-rimmed eyes and the tear on my face and I immediately looked away, wiping the tear off my cheek.

"Let's go, Bilbo," I said quietly, my voice slightly choked up.

He followed hesitantly behind me, playing with his fingers. "Are you alright, Aeyera?" he asked, watching me carefully as I picked up the pace. "You seem upset…"

I smiled sadly, looking out at the setting sun and listening for any sound of danger. "I'm alright, Bilbo," I replied softly. "I'm just… homesick is all."

_Sick of not having a home, more like, since I don't have one anyway, _I thought.

He looked doubtful but accepted my answer all the same. "Oh… alright," he said, moving quickly to match my longer strides as we neared the edge of a precipice. "Where are we going?"

I shook my head and gestured to a point several miles away, all the while keeping my pointer finger pressed against my lips. I crouched down low to the ground as Bilbo looked at what I had pointed to: the orc pack. He gasped and fell down to my level, breathing heavily. I looked around scouting out any other nearby threats. My heart stopped at what I saw. "They're quite close," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Should we warn the others?"

His voice was distant, and I mutely nodded as I stared at the beast behind him, which had not yet spotted us. It was like a bear but was much, much larger, and its muzzle was pulled back in a snarl. Its yellow gaze was locked on the orc pack, and I was terrified that its gaze would fall on Bilbo and I. I knew this creature: his human form was a dear friend of mine who went by the name of Beorn. However, his animal form was unpredictable—a beast to be reckoned with, and I had no desire to meet him in a fight.

"Princess?" Bilbo was asking, his voice a whisper. I snapped back to myself and leaned forward, covering his mouth with my hand and pulling him away. As I pulled, keeping my hand firmly over his mouth, he spotted Beorn, and his face turned white. He turned and bolted, leaving me behind, and I looked once more over to the ridge where the orc pack had been. They now were galloping down the mountain, and although they hadn't seen us, I had a feeling that they'd picked up our scent.

I turned and ran, following after the halfling and making no more noise than a gentle breeze that makes its way through leaves on warm summer nights. When I reached the Company, Bilbo was already in their midst, and I made a point to avoid the gaze of Fili, whom I assumed would be having words with me later on.

"I'm trying to tell you that there's something else out there," Bilbo was saying, trying to capture the attention of the thirteen dwarves. They all turned to him, startled, but Gandalf was the first to speak up.

"What form did it take?" he asked. "Was it that of a bear?"

"Yes, Gandalf," I said, stepping forward and cutting off Bilbo's stammering reply. "But we need to go _now._"

His bright eyes narrowed slightly as he looked me over, frowning. "What happened to you?" he asked quietly. The dwarves looked from me to the wizard, confused and anxious. I myself was somewhat confused, wondering if he referred to my missing years, my red-rimmed eyes, or my short temper. A growl reached my ears, and though it was faint and far away—even with _my_ hearing it was barely audible—I jumped, startled. Gandalf took this into account and turned to the others, dismissing his curiosity for the moment. I twisted my brother's ring nervously, watching the wizard carefully.

"There is a house," Gandalf said, looking around at all the dwarves. "It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house?" Thorin asked, wary of the wizard's ideas since the eagles snatched his company off the side of a mountain. "Is he friend or foe?"

"Neither," the wizard answered. "He will help us, or he will kill us."

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked, his face filled with doubt as I moved over to Gandalf's side.

"None," the wizard answered. I placed my hand on his shoulder, pulling him down a bit, and stood on my tiptoes so that I could whisper in his ear. The other dwarves slowly began to move in the direction Gandalf had indicated, giving me searching looks. "Mithrandir… are you sure this is the right choice? He is not a friend of dwarves."

"Nor is he normally a friend to elves. You have met him?" Gandalf asked, surprised. He frowned suddenly, his eyes going to the scars visible on my shoulder and neck. "How?"

A roar suddenly split the air, making everyone in the group jump and begin to run, leaving all questions for a later date. We began sprinting down the hill and charging through woods, crashing through the undergrowth with no thought of stealth. Not for the first time I considered circling around and taking out the orcs as they approached from behind—I certainly was fast enough—but I decided against it. We were close to Dol Guldur, too close, and I had no desire to be captured again.

Kili suddenly tripped in front of me, face planting, and I skidded, trying to come to a stop. However, he was too close to me and I was moving too quickly, I tripped over him, landing hard on the ground several feet away and cursing when my ankle twisted under me. I scrambled to my feet and pulled the blushing dwarf to his, pulling him along with me, my limp much more prominent than before.

"Hurry, Kili," I said, looking over my shoulder. My eyes widened at the sight of Beorn—as a bear—charging through the undergrowth, no more than half a mile behind us. "Let's go!" I yelled, pulling him forward and running with renewed strength. For the first time in the entire journey with the company I was physically able to run without any serious injuries or impediments, and I was unable to do so because of my promise to protect the line of Durin. '_Also the_ _fact that you're in love with Thorin's nephew,' _a snide voice in my head said, '_that's a key factor in explaining why you're risking your life by not leaving him behind.'_

"Shut up," I panted, pulling Kili harder as we made our way across a wide stream.

"I didn't say anything," Kili grunted as I lost my footing, rolling my bad ankle on a loose stone. I cried out and would had fallen into the river had Kili not paused and pulled me back, unintentionally pulling me flush against his chest. I glanced up, catching the concerned and embarrassed look in his eye.

I pulled away, blushing. "Thank you," I said, regaining my footing and continuing on, lost in my thoughts.

-o-

'_Thank Seldarine he's tall for a dwarf_,' I thought as we continued to run side by side. He was keeping up with me astoundingly well… in fact, he seemed to be holding back. I tried bursting into a sprint, and he kept up easily, much to my relief. Chancing another glance back did nothing to boost my spirits—the distance between us and the bear had decreased to a quarter of a mile.

"What is it?" Kili asked, breathing heavily as we broke out of the woods and began flying across a golden field speckled with purple alfalfa and a few other scraggly, brown plants.

"Come on!" The wizard yelled, waving his staff around. I jumped over a trench, staggering slightly as pain flared up in my ankle upon landing. I gritted my teeth and continued on, my pain visible to the others' eyes by only a slight limp.

"What is what?" I asked, only slightly out of breath. I looked over at the handsome dwarf; his long, dark hair mostly pulled back from his face by a single silver clip; his dark eyes narrowed in concentration as he ran. Sweat ran down his face, and a vein stood out in his neck; his teeth were clenched against a cramp in his side.

"The bear—what is it?" he asked, throwing his arms in front of his face as we entered another forest, this one less dense than the first but thick enough that hopefully the bear would be impeded by its size and the closeness of the trees. I looked back and was relieved that I could not see the bear. I ran into someone and fell back into Kili's arms for the second time that day; I looked up into Dwalin's scowling face and stepped away from him, smiling nervously. I hadn't realized that the company had halted, and they stood close together, looking around for any sign of the bear or the orcs.

"Sorry," I said, looking around. Catching sight of Thorin and Fili, I felt partially relieved. At least they hadn't fallen behind.

Suddenly the bear's roar sounded again, much, _much _closer than before; it echoed around us, and Gandalf began running again, shouting for us to follow him. We needed no encouragement and began sprinting after him, fearful for our lives. Bombur stood, petrified, staring in the direction of the bear and I grabbed the first thing I could reach—his looped, braided beard—and pulled him along. "Come on!" I yelled, my voice barely able to be heard over the bear's continuous roar. The rotund dwarf ran next to me, surprisingly quick, and the brothers Fili and Kili ran in front of me. We continued down the wooded hill and leaped over a ditch at the bottom, coming in view of the house several hundred yards away.

"To the house!" the wizard yelled, as if he hadn't told us before that it was our only option. Bombur had run ahead of me and I had fallen behind, the pain in my ankle reaching an almost unbearable point. I yelled in frustration, forcing it to work, and I felt a hand on my elbow, pushing me forward. Startled, I looked up into the eyes of Thorin, who had been waiting at the back of the train of dwarves to assist any who fell behind.

He quickly assessed the damage and I saw a flash of guilt in his eyes—it was, after all, through defending him that I was wounded—and he spoke, pulling my arm around him shoulder. "Lean on me," he said. I nodded, in too much pain to argue.

"Run!" Gandalf yelled. The first of the company was yards away from the hedge surrounding the house, and Bombur raced ahead of every dwarf till he was the first in line, running faster even than Gandalf, who stopped at the gate to usher us all inside.

Bombur hit the door and bounced off as the next dwarves reached him; they began pounding at it, but it was unyielding. Not one noticed the latch above their heads. Thorin and I were the last to make it in, right behind Oin, and Gandalf ran up, yelling, "Open the door!"

"Quickly!" Thorin yelled, passing me to his nephews and pushing through the crowd, undoing the latch and pushing open the double doors. We burst through them, and the instant we all were in we turned and shut the doors—on the bear's muzzle.

The bear roared roared as the dwarves yelled, trying to close the remaining door. The muzzle was stuck between the closed door and the open one, and the only options were to allow the bear into the house—not really an option—or get the door shut, which didn't seem to be working. Something that didn't help to calm my frayed nerves was that Kili was closest to the bear's teeth, each one of which was as long as my knives. I glanced back to the wizard—who wasn't helping and was standing in the middle of the room, smirking— and Bilbo, who had drawn his elvish sword and was pointing it at the bear. Right as I glanced back at Kili, the bear moved to clamp his jaws down on his arm. With a yell, I tackled him to the ground as the bear's teeth snapped together with a resounding _click_, and he looked over at me with wide eyes.

"You saved me," he whispered, looking up into my eyes. I was on his chest, and he lay on the ground under me, and no one seemed to notice; they were to busy fighting Beorn. With roars to match that of the bear's, the dwarves managed to shut the door, sliding a thick plank of wood into its metal latches to hold the doors closed.

As soon as they were safe, the dwarves breathed sighs of relief and leaned against the wood, breathing heavily. Fili and Thorin helped Kili and I to our feet, Fili murmuring thanks as I leaned heavily on his shoulders. Ori turned around to look at the wizard who stood with his staff pointed at the door, a dazed and guarded look on his face. "What is that?"

Gandalf looked down at the dwarf, though he did not lower his staff. "That is our host." I stood in between Fili, who had taken up the task of keeping me from falling over, and Kili. Both turned around to stare incredulously at Gandalf, and the rest of the dwarves did the same. I was the only one in the room, save Gandalf, who knew the identity of our host, and yet even I was more than a little bit irritated at behind forced to run several miles on an injured ankle while being chased by a giant bear. "His name is Beorn," he said, looking around at the dumbfounded hobbit and dwarves surrounding him. "And he is a Skin-changer." He turned and strode away past Oin, who pulled his ear trumpet away and observed it carefully as if it were broken. It was—a goblin had crushed it in Goblin Town—but he still heard the wizard correctly. "Sometimes he's a huge black bear," he continued, moving past us through his house and past several large animals residing comfortably inside, "Sometimes he's a great, strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with," Gandalf explained as the dwarves spread out, looking around. "However," the wizard warned, "He is not over fond of dwarves."

I had stayed near the doors with Fili and Kili, and I looked over as Ori pressed his ear against the door, listening for any sounds of the bear. "He's leavin'," he said, eyes wide.

His brother Dori pulled him away. "Come away from there," he scolded, keeping a firm grip on his arm as if his brother might be sucked through the door if he let go. "It's not natural, none of it! It's obvious: he's under some dark spell," he said, his voice low and disgusted.

_'And this is why he doesn't like dwarves,' _I thought, hopping on one foot to try and wake up my right leg, which had fallen asleep. The brothers gave me questioning looks. "I can't feel my leg," I explained, closing my mouth as Gandalf stormed over, looking angry.

"Don't be a fool," he growled, looking down at Dori. "He's under no enchantment but his own." He turned around and looked us over, forgetting his anger for the moment. "Right, now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight… I hope." I glared at the wizard as several dwarves looked around nervously as if expecting the bear to come barreling through a wall. "Oin, if you could help the princess with her ankle, I would be much obliged, she seems to have injured it again."

I flushed but nodded gratefully to Fili as he helped lower me onto a pile of hay, only which he spread my blanket. "Thank you," I said as he straightened again, moving out of the way of the healer, who was muttering something about me having more injuries than all the other dwarves combined. Because of his bad hearing, I doubt he thought I could hear, but I still blushed, embarrassed.

Fili smiled minutely at his words and nodded his head. "Feel better, princess," he said, straightening up. Before he left, however, he bent down once more so his mouth was next to my ear. "Thank you, princess, for saving my brother's life."

I nodded, a lump in my throat, and turned back to Oin, who was instructing me to take off my boot. Fili stood and strode away to where his uncle stood, watching me. The exchanged words quietly, and after a minute they both disappeared into a back room. I nodded at the healer and began unlacing my left boot as Kili came over and sat down next to me. He glanced at Oin, decided that he couldn't hear him, and leaned into me, frowning. "Why do you keep saving me?" he asked, his brown eyes curious and searching.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, giving my boot a tug and hissing with pain. I hadn't realized that I hadn't undone the laces all the way and only succeeded in injuring myself further.

"Here, allow me," he said, gently undoing the knots in the laces and sliding the shoe off. For the first time I became aware of the smell of sweaty feet, and I felt somewhat embarrassed, though I wasn't sure why I was so uncomfortable. I slid my sock off, avoiding his gaze as I winced at the purple, black, and blue bruising surrounding my swollen ankle.

Kili winced. "You were sprinting on that?" he asked, looking pained. I nodded. "And you were pulling me along with you," he said, looking guilty and sad.

I started, realizing what he was getting at. "Oh, Kili, no," I said, placing my hand on top of his. "This was not your fault; it would've happened whether I helped you or not."

"But I tripped you," he said, his sad face resembling that of a puppy's. "When I fell, you tripped over me…" I thought back to that incident and winced; he was right. He saw the realization in my face, and his fell. "I'm so sorry—"

"Kili, you saved me," I said, squeezing his hand. "I would've fallen into the creek when I twisted my ankle again, and if you weren't there, Beorn would've killed me. You saved me, you didn't put me in danger." I yelped as Oin pressed hard on a certain point right above my heel, but I missed the scalding look Kili sent his way.

The old healer put his hearing trumpet to his ear. "It's broken," he said, looking over at me.

My mouth fell open. "I'm sorry?" I asked, not believing my ears.

"I'm the one with bad hearing, princess," he scolded. "I said that your ankle is broken. It's a fracture at worst, but you should still stay off it while we're here."

"At best?" I tried, hoping for something a bit less permanent.

"A severe sprain, same instructions. I'll wrap it for you, and you should keep it elevated. Once I'm done, I'll give you something for sleep. I know you elves don't sleep often, but—"

"No!" I yelped, drawing attention from several of the dwarves nearby. "Please," I said, lowering my voice and shaking slightly. I pulled my arms around myself, suddenly cold. "I can not sleep… Is there any way you could give me something different?"

I stopped speaking as my ankle gave a particularly painful throb, and Oin looked thoughtful. "My stores are running somewhat low when it comes to pain relievers… I'm afraid I have to save the non-sleep inducing medicine for injuries that happen during, say, a run like today. Or an injury that occurs when if the subject goes to sleep, he won't wake up. I'm afraid your options are only to take the medication and go to sleep or risk it becoming infected by not taking any medication at all." I bit my lip, wanting to say that I would risk the infection, but Oin turned to Kili before I could say anything. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be with your brother?"

Kili started and turned slightly red but regained his composure quickly. "I actually was hoping that I could learn to wrap an injury, in case something happens where more than one of us gets injured, I could help."

Oin nodded, pleased. "Alright. I need to make a paste out of this herb Aeyera called Athelas. Others call it Kingsfoil, but whatever it is, I've never quite need anything like it. It had certain healing properties that only elves, from what I've seen, can access. If you could get some of that boiling water from over there, that'd be perfect."

Kili nodded and get to his feet, shaking his legs to regain feeling in them. "I'll be right back," he said to me, taking the pot Oin offered him.

The elder dwarf scoffed. "You're walking across the room, not going off to war, laddie," he said with a gruff laugh. "Get on with it, we'll be fine without you for a few minutes."

He flushed and all but ran into the next room, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him. "Why did you say that?" I asked as Oin unrolled my store of wrappings for my ankle; Oin had given it to me after my last injury in case it happened again so we wouldn't get into his private stores to quickly. Then again, this was a part of his private stores, so I wasn't sure what the point was.

"He was taking too long, lass," he said, pulling out the pouch of Athelas I had given him and handing it to me, knowing that only I could access its healing properties. Kili came back into the room holding the pot of hot water and avoiding my eyes. He set down the pot and sat back, watching to see what I would do and keeping his eyes glued to my hands. Oin, knowing that I preferred to work alone, turned so his back faced me.

I took the Athelas and pressed a handful of the fresher plant in the water, crushing it in my fist. A fresh, sharp smell drifted out of the pot and mingled with the scent of hay and clean animals, and I began singing softly in elvish murmuring a spell my mother had taught me when I was very small. "_Ambar aire anar nulla, urwa wilma kelva tulka,_" I sang softly, closing my eyes and pressing the paste on my ankle. I clenched my teeth as the bone moved, and I continued, gasping. "_Ambar aire anar nulla urwa: nu wilma kelva tulka assare._"

The pain faded considerably and I lay back, exhausted. I glanced back at my ankle to see that the bruises had faded to green, yellow, and purple; the worst had gone. Kili tapped Oin's shoulder to let him know I was done, and his eyes widened at the sight of my ankle, which was considerably smaller than it had been several minutes before. I rested my head back as Oin began instructing Kili on how to wrap an injured ankle, explaining that each injury was different and therefore had to be treated differently. Thankfully, because I had healed the bone, I didn't need a splint, though, as Oin said, I still needed to be wrapped up tight. "Even elves feel pain, and my job is to fix them up so they don't," Oin said, handing the strips of cloth to Kili after soaking them in the hot water. Kili slowly began to wrap my foot and ankle; normally I drifted into the elvish kind of dreaming, but I was unable to do so because of the sparks of electricity travelling up my spine at his touch. I looked up as he finished and Oin stood, walking over to where his brother Gloin sat.

Kili held in his hand several herbs which I had a feeling would make me go to sleep. I looked up at his eyes quickly, shaking my head. "No, Kili, I can't—"

He held up his hands, "I'm not going to make you do anything, Aeyera. You need to get better, and taking medicine that would help you to sleep would be best."

"You don't understand," I said softly, closing my eyes. "I _can't _sleep. I seriously can not sleep anymore."

"Then help me understand," Kili said, sitting back and crossing his legs. "Tell me why you can't sleep anymore." He paused for a minute and looked over at the room Thorin and Fili had disappeared into. "It's nightmares, isn't it?"

I looked up at him but didn't answer. I couldn't.

He shook his head. "If you can't tell me why you're having nightmares," he said carefully, "Can you tell me why you keep saving my life?"

I froze, chills travelling down my spine. "What are you talking about?" I whispered, my voice catching.

He scooted closer until we both sat on my blanket, side by side against the pile of hay. "You've saved my life at least twice now. First in the goblin tunnels, you took a flogging for me. Then you jumped in front of Azog the Defiler to protect Uncle… you nearly died, Aeyera. Then today, you dragged me along with you, you broke your ankle again when I tripped you, and you tackled me out of the way when that bear thing nearly bit off my arm. Even before that," he said softly, watching the sunlight fade into moonlight through a skylight. "When we got separated on the cliff, it took Fili all his strength to keep you from jumping off the ridge after me, even though he was about to jump after me himself." I stayed silent and stared at the floor. My throat was choked up, and I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to keep from crying. Kili placed his hand hesitantly on my back, trying to keep from hurting me. I turned my head, noticing that he was avoiding my hair like the plague. I pulled it to the side so he wouldn't have to touch it, and he smiled a bit and held out the hand holding the medicine. "You've saved me," he whispered. "It's my turn to save you."

I looked up at him questioningly as a tear fell down my cheek. I swiped it away angrily and look over at the young dwarf, confused. "What? How?"

"If you take this," he said, "I'll stay with you. I'll keep the nightmares away. I promise."

"How will you keep them away?" I asked, my voice a whisper.

"If I see you having them," he said, "I'll wake you up. I promise."

"Even if I take them," I said, looking around at the others who had fallen asleep, "it would take a miracle for me to actually sleep."

He shrugged. "You could talk yourself to sleep," he suggested. "Tell me why you're having the nightmares. Maybe if you face it, you won't have them anymore."

I shook my head. "I doubt that will help."

He looked around for help before turning back to me. "Tell me about your home," he said gently. "Your family."

I sighed, resigned. "Alright. Fine, I'll talk to you about my family, not my past."

He nodded, smiling, and mixed the herbs into a cup of water before handing it to me. I accepted it with shaking hands and held it for a moment, unmoving. He covered my hands with his and moved in front of me, his dark eyes staying on my face. "Do you trust me?" he asked. I nodded, and he smiled. He helped me tilt the cup back, and I drank the mixture quickly before my body could convince me not to. I gagged as soon as it was down, and he covered my mouth to keep me from throwing it up. As soon as it was down, I sat back, shaking. "Tell me about your family," he said softly.

I snuggled back into the hay as Kili lay back next to me. He removed my bow, quiver, and knives as well as his own weapons and set them aside at our feet. "My mother died when I was very young," I said softly. "She died defending my brother and I when a pack of orcs attacked us. We were riding along one of the elvish paths through the Greenwood one hundred and eighty-five years ago; I was ten years old. She rode with me on her horse Athelasar. My brother rode beside us on his own horse I had named Scarlet, because of her mane." Kili lay facing me, and a strip of moonlight lit up his eyes, which were watching my lips as I spoke. My eyes were getting heavy, but I fought the sedative, not ready to sleep yet. "My mother had her weapons with her, but my brother did not, and I was much too young to know how to use any weapons. My father was not with us like he normally was, he… he was at the palace, one of the ambassadors from Erebor was visiting at the time. This was back when h-he actually loved me… a band of orcs attacked us from behind, and my brother couldn't do anything to help her. She threw me to him and yelled at him to take me and run. Right as he caught me, an orc aimed for me and let loose an arrow. She jumped in front of it, off her horse, and it hit her in the chest. My brother blew his horn, and I was screaming her name over and over, and he took me and rode away as the other warriors came in. It was too late," I whispered, my eyes drooping shut as I cried. I couldn't tell, but Kili was crying as well, and his left hand was covering his mouth as his right held mine. "I was screaming, crying for her over and over again, but I couldn't reach her. I tried to fight my brother, but he was too strong. He was crying with me, and when we reached the palace, he passed me to Tauriel and ran to my father." My head fell down against the crook of my elbow as sleep began to take me. My eyes closed. "He never loved me after that," I murmured. "He never cared that I left, and if he had known I was being tortured, he wouldn't have cared. Only Legolas cared, and I can't tell him."

"You were tortured?" Kili yelped, squeezing my hand. "When?"

But I had already passed into the darkness, allowing myself to sleep for the first time in centuries.


	2. Chapter 2

_Torture._

_ Agony._

_ Burning._

_ Darkness._

_ Smoke._

_ 'I've been here for twenty years… I cannot stand it here anymore. Every day I am tortured, every night I am healed. When I am awake I live a nightmare, when I sleep I am plagued with visions of my family and people being slaughtered. _

_ 'Every night I try desperately to run over a muddy, barren field towards my brother, who lies dying at the foot of a large, black gate. Every night I look down to see why I cannot run to his side, only to see that the mud is actually blood and flesh—every night I look down into the bloodless faces of the Valar and am able to do nothing. _

_ 'I cannot kill myself, and the enemy knows it. They place a dagger in my cell every night, knowing that if I succumb to the pain and use it, my soul be unable to find its way to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor. I will cease to be, but I cannot do it—I am strong; I will not give in. I will not risk seeing my mother again simply because I cannot withstand pain which I know I will someday be saved from.'_

_ The pale orc laughs and lifts a whip that glows like fire. "Do you enjoy pain, elfling?" He asks, leering at me. He swings the whip, and I scream as it wraps around me, burning furrows into my arm. "You must: if you did not, you would have ended it by now." _

_ He jerks the whip away, leaving deep, blackened burns in my flesh. They are not so deep that I can see my bone, but I still writhe in agony, sobbing. I cry out and pull in vain at the chains holding my arms to the ceiling, unable to kick the orc away because of the shackles holding my ankles to the stone floor. He laughs and swings the whip again, making it wrap around my right upper arm and across both my shoulders. I arch my back, trying to escape. _

_ No matter how many times I am tortured, I will never not curl away from a whip, a branding iron, a knife. I know that I cannot be corrupted—not but a few elves could ever be or have ever been corrupted, and even those have fallen out of our memory—but oftentimes I wonder if I have been, if the continuous exposure to darkness and evil has changed me for the worst. _

_ I blink, bringing myself out of my thoughts. Darkness surrounds me both inside and out; the shadows of night are reflected by the shadows of madness at the edges of my mind._

_ After an eternity that was only a day, the pale orc unchains my wrist and ankles and slings me over his shoulder, each of his hands large enough to easily wrap itself around my waist and crush me. I cannot move; my wrists are shackled together as well as my ankles. He carries me to my cell and throws me to the ground, smiling gruesomely at my weak whimpers of protest. Unlike other nights, however, the shadow that would descend upon my cell did not immediately come, and I frown, glancing over at the knife in the corner, a plan forming in my mind. The pale orc frowns as well and steps into the cell, facing away from me. Taking a risk, I reach over, grab the knife in my fists, and lunge, hoping to plunge the blade into the orc's heart. _

_ However, the sound of my chains scraping against the floor alerts him, and he turns, backhanding me and sending me flying to the opposite wall. Pain explodes in my back as it makes contact with the chipped rock, and I crumple to the ground in pain, looking blearily over at the pale orc, who reaches down to pick up the knife I had dropped. He grins and kneels next to me, tracing my face with the dark blade._

_ "The Master will heal you tonight," he whispers in the common tongue, "so it won't matter when I do _this._" At the last word, he plunges the knife into my side up to the hilt, and I scream, curling in on myself as the world flashed white. _

_ He stands and turns, intent on leaving me in the cell, but before he can, the shadow appears at the door, weaker than before. _

_ It speaks in black speech, and I recognize few words in it. However, I do catch the words "Thror," "Moria," and "Durin". The orc grins and walks out as the shadow fades completely. _

_ I lie dazed and dying as Dol Guldur empties, all the orcs and goblins heading to Moria. I grip the handle of the knife, hoping to pull it out and use it to break my chains, but I am too weak. I remain motionless, my breathing becoming ragged, and darkness began to encroach on my vision._

_ Suddenly, the sound of footsteps reaches my ears, and I try to lift my head. '_These are different_,' I notice. I open my mouth and cough, tasting blood. "Help," I croak, choking on my blood. "Help!" I cough, louder. The footsteps come nearer as I fall back, crying. "Help me," I whisper, looking up at the enormous figure above me. _

_ It crouches down and lifts me up gently in its arms and I choke, a squelching sound issuing from my throat as he carries me out of the cell. "You are safe, little one," the man says, moving more quickly than before. "I am not going to hurt you." I begin to slip into the world of dreams, I must be, for the man's form shifts to that of a bear, and he begins to run, my prone form on his back with my arms around his neck. My wrists are still chained together, as were my ankles, but I am grateful because I cannot fall off. _

_ The world is completely encased in night, but still I can see—I can make out the shadows of trees and mountains even though there is no starlight. I can see the forms of wraiths, which drift towards me but back off when they see who—or what—carries me. _

_ Finally my eyes begin to drift shut and I slump over, praying to Eru and Seldarine that death will take me._

-o-

I was shaking badly, and my ears were ringing. I was in the place between sleep and wakefulness, and I could not remember anything past what I had just experienced in my dream.

'_Was it a dream?_' I thought, panicked, '_or am I still in Dol Guldur?!_'

A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder, and I curled into a ball as the hand's owner began shaking me. "Aeyera!" Someone was shouting, "_Mahal, _princess, wake up! Please! Wake up!"

My eyes snapped open, and I screamed shrilly, throwing the hand off me and shoving the body away. The whole time I was shrieking, and my hands were clamped over my ears. The hands returned but they were gentle, much more gentle than before. One rested on my upper arm while the other traced circles between my shoulder blades.

Slowly my memory began returning, and the gap between the present and my time spent in the dungeons of Dol Guldur began to widen. As my memory proved that I was farther and farther from danger, I began to relax, and my screams turned to whimpers before disappearing entirely. Slowly my mind returned to the present, and I slumped against the floor as I thought about the past day's events, going over them quickly in my mind.

'_Tracking. Overhearing Fili and Kili's _private _conversation. Seeing the orc pack. Seeing Beorn. Running. Tripping over Kili. Kili catching me and preventing me from falling into the river. Thorin helping me as I became too weak to run. Tackling Kili to the ground. Kili and Oin wrapping my ankle after I used magic to heal it. Taking the sleeping drought. Telling Kili about my mother. Letting slip about my years in torture. Falling asleep for the first time in decades. Reliving my last day in Dol Guldur._'

After reviewing the events of the last twenty-four hours and assuring myself of my safety, I opened my eyes and felt a wave of relied sweep over me at the sight of Kili kneeling beside me. His hands stilled as my green eyes fluttered open, and he gave a small, relieved smile.

"What happened?" I whispered, not yet aware of the other dwarves behind him. "How did you wake me up?"

His dark eyes stood out in stark contrast against his white face, and they remained locked on mine as he spoke. "I-I drifted off sometime after you did," he said, sounding ashamed. His hand began moving in circles again, and I felt myself relax at his touch, feeling truly safe for the first time in longer than I could remember. "I felt something jerk, and I woke to see you having a fit, crying and whimpering and thrashing around as if you were being tortured. I grabbed your shoulder and tried to shake you awake, but you threw me off… I didn't realize how hard you could hit," he added, rubbing his bruised jaw. He continued on before I could apologize. "When you started screaming, I panicked, and that's when the others started waking up. Fili and Uncle ran in and helped keep the others back; they probably would've accidentally trampled you if they hadn't," he said thoughtfully, glancing at his brother gratefully. "While that was going on, I did the only this I could think of, rubbing your back, which seemed to calm you down. Fili and I used to do it when we were dwarflings to calm each other down when we had nightmares," he added quietly, so only I could hear. He looked wistful, and my heart ached as I thought back to the last ten years I spent in the Greenwood with my brother when we became so close.

_'I wonder what would've happened if Legolas hadn't told me about the dragon,'_ I thought briefly. I quickly banished the thought, unwilling to tempt myself with _what ifs_. "Thank you," I said softly. I still shook, scars throbbing with pain that reverberated up through the centuries to now, and I still fought the madness at the corners of my mind, but I knew I was safe—at least for now—so I relaxed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you—" Kili blurted, looking very upset. "I tried to wake you sooner, I really did, but I—"

"I know," I said softly, tired and sad. My heart was heavy, and my eyes were nearly as heavy as my heart. I twisted a strand of hair around into a thin, intricate braid, thinking.

"You don't have to go to sleep again," he said as most of the other dwarves took their leave, heading back to their nooks and crannies where they were before. I mushed myself up so we sat facing each other, my left leg stretched out in front of me. "You can just do… whatever it is elves do instead of sleeping and stick with that, I would never make you—"

"Kili," I said softly, reaching over and taking his hand. "You saved me… and I trust you to do so again, should another nightmare occur while I stay in this home."

The young prince, whose eyes had been glued to our intertwined hands, jerked his head up, brown eyes wide with panic. I couldn't help but wonder just how terrible my screams had been to make him this frightened for me. "What?! No, you can't—"

"I am sorry to interrupt," his uncle said, moving forward and kneeling next to our linked hands. As he glanced down at them, I quickly retracted my own, feeling my face heat up. Thankfully the house of Beorn was too dark for the king to see me blush, but there was enough light for me to see the concern and understanding in his face. "But I need to speak to you privately, if you are well."

I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted by a yawn, and Thorin smiled as I blinked in surprise, trying to stay awake. The sleeping herbs had not yet worn off, and I could feel the effects as I struggled not to slump to the ground, asleep. "Now may not be the b-b-" I was interrupted by another yawn, and I frowned, "_best _time, my lord." I covered my mouth as another yawn escaped me, irritated. I never yawned. _Ever._

He nodded in understanding and glanced around at the others, several of whom still looked on with concern from their sleeping spots. After a moment, he bowed his head and stood. "We will speak when you wake," he said. Turning, he whispered something to Kili in Khuzdul, and I couldn't catch it. He straightened and glanced over his shoulder at me, his face softening. "Sleep well, princess," he said, turning and heading back to sleep, glaring at the others in an attempt to get them to do the same.

Kili turned back to me as I snuggled down, ready for the first time in centuries to sleep. A sense of peace stole over me as Kili lay down beside me, both of us lying on my blanket in the hay. After covering us both with his blanket, he turned to me, propped up on one elbow. "Are you sure about this?" he whispered, clearly worried about me. I nodded. "Do… do want to talk about it?" he asked hesitantly. "About your nightmare?"

"Memory," I corrected softly. "It was a memory." This was the first time I had divulged my past to anyone; the rangers never asked about my past, knowing it was not one I wished to remember. They had, however, visited Beorn's house and introduced him to the Athelas plant, Arathorn being the one who healed my Morgul wound. Beorn figured my past out on his own, having found me and kept me alive until the rangers found me. Kili remained silent, and I continued, feeling that I was able at least to trust him, if no one else. "After my brother and I split at the edge of the Greenwood, I made my way North, hoping to meet with dwarves making their way to the Blue Mountains from Erebor. I never made it. Several weeks after the dragon attacked the Lonely Mountain, I was—I was captured and brought to the dungeons of Dol Guldur. You asked once why Azog the Defiler wanted me," I said, raising my eyes to meet his. "It is because I escaped. He used to torture me…" I closed my eyes against the pain reflected in Kili's own, feeling a lump form in my throat. "I was a prisoner for twenty years until the orcs began to take notice of the Dwarf kingdom of Dwarrowdelf. At that point, the pale orc stabbed me with a Morgul blade and left the dungeons with the rest of the orcs there."

Kili looked confused, his dark eyes churning with so many emotions that I couldn't keep track. "But why would he leave? You said you escaped, but how—"

I shuddered and pulled the blanket tighter around me. "There is a shadow that lies upon those ruins," I said, my voice low. "It would put me to sleep every night and heal me, plaguing me with nightmares all the while. The shadow did not come on that night; I do not know why. It was weaker, when I saw it, but it neither harmed nor healed me. Hours later, I was passing out of consciousness and into death, when Beorn found me. He brought me back to his home and did his best to heal me, but could do nothing about my Morgul wound. Miraculously, a group of ranges, the Dúnedain, were passing through his lands. When they discovered that a wounded elf was being sheltered by him, the leader of their company, Arathorn, son of Arador, healed me with the Athelas plant, saving me from death and preventing me from becoming a wraith."

Kili interrupted again, face paler than before. "I thought only elves could access the plant's power," he said. "How did a ranger do so?"

"The Dúnedain are men descended from the Númenóreans who retreated to Middle Earth in the Second Age," I said. "They are descended from Elf-friends, and Arathorn was one of the few who remains one."

"Elf-friends?" he repeated, frowning.

"Yes. Few are given the title, for few are friends to elves and do a great service to them," I replied. "Arathorn, a dear friend of mine, passed on nearly ten years ago, but never received such a title."

"Have I met any dwarves who have?" he asked, excited.

"I do not know," I answered slowly. "The two that I remember and who are most notable are Elrond Half-elven, who has lived since nearly the beginning of the First Age; and Elendil, the High King of Gondor in the Second Age, who lived to be three hundred and twenty-two."

"Oh," he replied, slightly put out. "What happened after Arathorn healed you?" he asked, looking over at me.

I continued. "After the Morgul knife was removed and the splinter taken out of my chest, it took nearly a year for me to recover. See, a Morgul blade, once it tastes flesh, allows its point to splinter into the body and dig its way to the victim's heart. When it reaches it, the victim becomes a wraith." I looked down at my hand, tracing the scar on the back of it. "Elves were created to be incorruptible," I said softly. "Some were twisted and mutilated in the very beginning by Morgoth and transformed into orcs, but this was before we were awakened by Eru. I have often wondered if I could have been corrupted; elves were not created to be consumed by darkness." I returned to myself and continued the story, closing my eyes. "Several rangers stayed near to Beorn's dwelling place, watching for danger in order that they might protect me, but nothing ever came. That is, until the anniversary of my escape. I became sick; very sick, and began drifting into the realm that wraiths dwell in. From what I have heard, Arathorn was called to my side and healed me, preventing me from fading completely. Once I was healed, I taught myself to fight and run again, and I travelled with the rangers until two years ago, when I discovered word of my companion Arathorn's death." My face fell as I remembered finding his group of rangers and not seeing him with them, and I fought back tears as I recalled the grief on their faces. "The Dúnedain are split into several groups, each keeping watch over a certain part of Middle Earth. While they still remain part of a... tribe, you could say, they are a solitary people and often travel alone, meeting up on occasion to discus any evil that seems to be growing. This was one of these times. Arathorn's tribe was keeping watch over Gondor when I discovered them; they had been heading East since last I saw them. Both I and the rangers I travelled with kept watch over the Iron Hills and Blue Mountains, protecting the dwarves from orc raids. We went to meet with the men of Gondor, for we had received word of a shadow to the East, and that is when I found out about his death.

"Many of the rangers either knew me or knew of me from their kin, and they knew the grief of elves runs deep. I still recall the pain and guilt on their faces; many of them fought by Arathorn's side and were grieved that I had not heard of his death. I do not know how word of his death escaped me for so long, but… I-I lost the will to remain in Middle Earth.

"I received word of my friend's death in Ithilien, and I travelled for a year until I reached the edge of the Shire, which is closest to the Grey Havens where the elves sail from Middle Earth to the Undying Lands. I lost the will to remain in this world… until Mithrandir approached me at the border of the Shire with word of a quest to reclaim a mountain, and slay a dragon. I accepted, and here I am as one of your companions, nearly a year later, going back to the place that nearly cost me my life."

I looked up at the young dwarf prince, who stared down at me with eyes that were filled with sorrow. He looked both enthralled at and grieved by my words, but he still spoke, his voice steady. "How is it that one can be so strong as to endure all this pain?" he whispered.

I closed my eyes. "I am not strong," I said softly, closing my heavy eyes as a tear rolled down my cheek.

I felt his hand hesitantly touch my cheek, his thumb gently brushing the tear away. I opened my eyes and looked into his, confused and lost. "You're stronger than you know," he said softly.

"I tried to run away," I said. "I was on my way to the Grey Havens when Gandalf found me."

"What are the Grey Havens?" he asked. "You mentioned them many a time, but I haven't heard of them before."

"You wouldn't have," I replied softly. "Most of the elves who pass out of Middle Earth have lived a full life, many of them having lived thousands of years. Many elves I met on their way to the Sea were veterans of the War of the Last Alliance, when the dark lord, Sauron, was destroyed by Isildur, son of Elendil. Many of these elves were over five thousand years old," I murmured.

His eyes were wide. "And you?" he asked.

"Others leave because they have no purpose," I told him sadly, a feeling of shame settling over me. "I am less than two hundred years of age: I was conceived twenty-seven years before the dragon attacked Erebor."

"And you were going to leave Middle Earth?" Kili asked, clearly not understanding. "But you are younger even than my uncle…" he trailed off, finally piecing together the whole story. "Oh," he whispered.

"Oh," I repeated sadly. "I am a coward, _mellon_," I told him, resting my head in the crook of my arm. "I have tried my whole life to run away."

"You're not running now," he pointed out gently.

A smile graced my lips as sleep overtook me again. I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders: telling Kili my story had freed me, somehow… I wasn't alone anymore, someone else knew my past and could help me. I rolled over so my back faced the prince, pulling his blanket to my chin.

"Thank you," he said softly, his voice nervous.

I turned my head slowly, catching a glimpse of him over my shoulder. "For what?" I asked, surprised.

"For trusting me," he replied. I smiled and turned over, allowing sleep to overtake me. And somehow… I knew I would not be plagued by nightmares again: at least not of my past.


	3. Chapter 3

Kili's POV

The dwarf prince watched as the young elven princess turned over so that her back faced him, and he sighed quietly as her breathing evened out. It both amazed and grieved him that someone so fair and young, especially for an elf, would have to go through so much pain.

'It is so strange that most dwarves, myself included,' he thought guiltily, 'usually think of the elves as a pure, cold, untouchable race who ignores the call of the weak and feasts in their halls while others starve outside their gates. At least,' he thought, frowning, 'that is how Uncle always put it when he would speak to my brother and I of the destruction of Erebor and the greediness of the elves. But this elf… she's different. She tried to help us when no one else would, and she's saved me more times than I can count.'

"Could it be possible that we've misunderstood your people all this time?" Kili asked aloud, staring at the princess' dark curls.

An unexpected voice spoke up from behind him, making him jump. "It is very possible, Kili, son of Dis. However, do not be fooled by our lady's kind heart. Her kin—the Wood Elves, in particular—are a suspicious and dangerous folk, less wise than their kin in the West." The started dwarf rolled over to see the Grey Wizard standing next to them, watching the pair with deep sadness in his grey-blue eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" Kili managed, afraid that the wizard had heard Aeyera's confession, and that she would think that he—Kili—had betrayed her trust.

"Do not worry, Kili," he said gently. "For although I heard her story, I turned my attention elsewhere once the two of you entered a more private area of conversation. You still have her trust," he said, smiling down at the sleeping girl, "and rightly so. Am I to assume that she also has yours?" he asked, raising one large, fuzzy eyebrow.

Kili nodded quickly. "Yes," he said, his voice catching.

The wizard bent down, watching the princess to make sure she was really asleep. Deciding that she was oblivious to him words, he spoke to the prince, saying, "You should know, Prince, that the trust of Elves is not lightly given. Especially for those who have been through this kind of pain. I am older than the creation of Middle Earth," he said, "and yet I have known very few Elves who trust any with their story when they have gone through this kind of pain. Fewer still who would entrust their life to a dwarf."

"Why do our races not get along?" Kili asked. He had never known what the true reason was; he had assumed that the anger between the Dwarves and the Elves came from the siege of Erebor, yet now he knew this was not the case.

Gandalf settles himself in a chair, leaning his staff against the wall. "In the First Age," he began, "the Elven king Thingol, of whom Lord Elrond is a descendant, asked the Dwarves of Belegost to forge the Nauglamír. This was a great and precious necklace which the Elven king had set with one of the Silmaril, making the necklace the fairest of all objects in Arda." The wizard sighed, staring off into an age old beyond recounting. Kili listened, enthralled. Never had he heard this tale before. "However, the Dwarves who forged the jewel became envious and greedy; once finished with the necklace, they demanded that in exchange for their work, they be paid with the Nauglamír. They would accept no other form of payment. The Elven king, who would not part with his treasure, replied in an incompetent manner, saying that he would not part with the gem. In their anger, the dwarves slew him, taking the Nauglamír back to their lands with a very different tale." Kili thought back to the scrolls he and his brother were forced to read as dwarflings; of the wicked elves who had withheld promised payment and slaughtered the dwarves in their care. Only now did he see that perhaps the history he had learned was wrong. "The two races went back and forth, the Elves seeking vengeance on those who had killed their king, and the Dwarves trying to take the Nauglamír for themselves. In the end," Gandalf said sadly, tired, "many centuries later, it was Elwing the White, mother of Elrond of Rivendell, who threw herself into the sea to escape the Sons of Fëanor, who tried to take the jewel from her. As she fell, she was transformed into a great white bird and flew to her husband Eärendil. However, the Nauglamír was lost, and had been for many an age."

Kili was stunned. "B-but," he stammered, "how would you know all of this?"

"Because I was there!" He said, as if genuinely shocked that the dwarf hadn't guessed it sooner. "I am older than the beginning of Middle Earth, as I previously mentioned. I have seen nations and peoples older and more mysterious than any that still walk on this earth perish by fire and water and blade. I have seen entire forests grow and wither, and I have seen the mountains being raised from the sea. I am very old, master dwarf. And yet, once again, it has never been heard of that an elf—a princess, no less—would trust a dwarf prince, one whose Uncle is a bitter rival of her father's."

"She's not like other elves," the prince said softly.

"That I know," the wizard said, amused. "Most elves would not come within a league of a dwarf, and yet there is one lying not a foot from you."

"Why me?" Kili asked, confused and tired. "What makes me so special?"

The wizard looked briefly conflicted but leaned forward all the same. The prince copied his movements, sitting up carefully to avoid waking Aeyera. "A month ago," the wizard said carefully, "immediately before your company was attacked by Azog the Defiler, I confronted our princess. I had intended to do it sooner, but due to… unforeseen circumstances, including her injuries and my being delayed in Rivendell, as well as other delays that stretched back even before those, I was unable to do so. While we were being chased by the Wargs and Orcs, I asked her a question, not knowing that she had already answered it nearly two centuries before." The wizard paused, looking down at the she-elf lying asleep on the ground.

"And what… what was the question?" Kili asked, incredibly interested.

The wizard suddenly stood. "Let us not speak here," he said. "Come with me."

Kili quickly stood and followed after the wizard, who led him to a fenced in courtyard outside. It must have been only nine or ten at night, and the moon was bright, bathing everything in silvery light. The stars were alight, and Kili glanced up at Durin's Crown, one of the Dwarves' most prized constellations. The wizard gestured towards a fountain in the center of the yard, which had several wooden benches placed around it.

The wizard sat, arranging his robes so that they wee not caught on any stray splinters, and Kili sat on a bench opposite him. "Please continue," he said.

"I asked her to protect the Line of Durin, at all cost," Gandalf said sadly, ignoring the shocked look on Kili's face. "Of course, I was unaware of how far her actions would go—had already gone, rather. I also was unaware of a… new development."

The dwarf frowned. "Development?" he repeated.

The sorcerer nodded, straying from the topic. "Yes. You see, elves only love once in their life, and they are similar to dwarf women who, if they are unloved by the one they wish to be with, will chose to be alone. Princess Aeyera is one of seven elves to be born in the last two centuries, and she is the youngest of all of them. Each of the other six has found their spouse for life—of the seven, four were female, and three were male. Elves generally take a spouse between the ages of fifty and one hundred; others whose to remain unmarried. For the princess, however, I fear that there are no others."

"What does this have to do with the princess wanting to protect us?" Kili asked, raising an eyebrow. He rubbed his hands together unconsciously; although it was summer, it was quite chilly, especially this far to the East, where winter comes early. It was not as if he was uninterested about Aeyera's story, on the contrary: he very much wished to understand the elf-maid better. This, though, was not how he wanted to find out.

The wizard continued as if uninterrupted. "She believes that she was unable to find love because of her torture and physical appearance—which has changed as of late, if you've noticed." Kili nodded in agreement. She did not look to be the same young girl she had been at the beginning; she looked to be nearly his own age now, although her height had not grown. "And thus she has been unhindered in her duties for the last century or so. Until now."

Kili looked up, conflicted. "Please stop," The young dwarf asked, gripping his right hand in his left. "I don't want to hear this."

"Why?" the wizard answered, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"Because… because if she wanted me to know this, she'd have told me herself," he answered, voice strong.

The wizard smiled as crickets and bullfrogs began to sing again. _'They must have been frightened by us and kept quiet,'_ Kili thought.

"You are quite remarkable, for a dwarf," he said, smiling happily as he patted the dwarf's shoulder affectionately. "I am happy to say that Aeyera was right in trusting you: you are quite an honorable young prince. I am, however, going to explain her vow to Durin's line, simply so you know what is going on. I believe that both your uncle and brother have already guessed her intentions and are both confused and grateful to her. However, I am now beginning to understand the gravity of what I asked of her and am regretting bringing her on this quest at all."

"What? I don't understand, you're an age-old wizard, you've lived on this earth since the beginning, how have you not seen every scenario play out a hundred times in history?" Kili asked, confused and… angry, for some reason. A feeling of protectiveness bubbled up inside him, much like the protectiveness he had for his brother, except this was stronger, and circled around the princess.

"I did not understand," the wizard snapped, growing taller as the creatures of the night fell silent, "because no elf has ever before fallen in love with a dwarf."

Kili froze, mind whirling. _'She's in love with a dwarf? Who?' _He kept his mouth shut, however, listening.

Gandalf sighed and hunched over, leaning heavily on his staff. "She already felt the deaths of your kin on her shoulders because she was unable to help you the day Erebor was lost; she felt that she had to make up for her failure by helping your company now. However, she seems to have fallen in love with one of you, and love… love is a very dangerous and powerful thing."

Gandalf continued. "I have seen kingdoms fall because of it, and the princess knows this. That is why she has never mentioned it before, why she is so quiet all the time: she's focusing all her energy on protecting you and your kin rather than being distracted by love. When I asked her to protect you, I was unaware that she had already made a promise to do so. I fear now that what I have done may cost Aeyera her life."

"How do you mean?" the dwarf asked, suddenly afraid. _'Elves cannot die, can they? They all sail away when they've had enough, that's what Aeyera said…'_

"Our elf is somewhat… mentally unbalanced. No, she is not insane," the wizard added as Kili started, "but there is a shadow of madness growing in her mind. This is due to the torture she endured in the dungeons of Dol Guldur, and had I been aware of it, I would have never asked her to come. I did not know of the horrors that haunted her until this very night when she spoke of them to you, and now I see that she is in very, very grave danger."

"How so?" Kili asked, mouth dry.

"She, if what she says is true, has been stabbed by a Morgul Blade," the wizard said.

Kili though back to his conversation with Lord Elrond in Rivendell and nodded. "Elrond said the same while we were in Rivendell," he said softly. "And Aeyera spoke of it to me just now."

Gandalf closed his eyes, looking more tired than anyone the dwarf had ever seen. "Then my fears are confirmed. The closer we come to the fortress of Dol Guldur, the more the wound will effect her until she either retreats to the Undying Lands or passes on, where then her soul will find its way to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor."

"But… she said that Arathorn, the ranger, had healed her," Kili pressed. "Until a year later, when she began passing into another world. What does that mean?"

Gandalf looked greatly troubled, and he remained in silence for several minutes before speaking again. "It means that if she dies, her blood will be on my hands. I have know her since before Erebor fell," the wizard said tiredly, looking down at his hands as if already seeing them coated in scarlet. "She would not leave her friends to carry on alone. That is why I must ask something of _you._"

Kili nodded. "Anything," he said, voice breaking. He hadn't realized before just how much he cared about her.

"Protect her," Gandalf said, watching the dwarf with his silvery eyes. "She already works to protect your kin from the evil at work in this world. You must work to protect her soul from the darkness at work in her mind."

Kili was stunned. "How can I do that?" he asked.

"Be a light," the wizard smiled. The two sat in silence, bathed in starlight as the night wore on. Nearly an hour later, a strange grunting, panting sound came from far outside the gate, and Kili turned his ear towards it, listening. "Something's there," he whispered.

"I know," the wizard said gravely. "It's Beorn. Go inside," he said to the stunned dwarf. "Make sure that our elf doesn't have anymore nightmares tonight. Do not worry," he added as Kili leapt to his feet, "she has had no more thus far."

Kili nodded and went quickly inside, working hard to keep from waking any of the others. As he lay down next to Aeyera, he gazed down at her, sighing. "I will protect you, princess," he whispered. "I promise."

-o-

_I looked around, searching desperately for the one I loved. An elven archer rushed by, and I grabbed his arm, hard. "Where are the princes of Erebor?" I growled, keeping his arm in a vice-like grip. _

_ The archer, whom I now recognized as the stable boy who worked at the palace when I was a child, bowed his head, awed by my appearance. "Princess, I do not know where they are—" he started, swinging his bow and hitting a oncoming orc in the side of the neck, breaking its spine and killing it instantly. _

_ "Are they alive?" I yelled, throwing a knife at another goblin and burying it up to the hilt in its neck. "Tell me they're alive!"_

_ "Aeyera!" I turned to see my brother and released the archer, running to him. He grasped my arms and pulled me to the ground as a goblin three times my size swung a battle-axe, which would have cut me in half had my brother not interfered. Legolas quickly ended the foul creature, fire burning in his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he asked, frightened for me. "You said you would stay with—" _

_ "Something came up," I snapped, throwing another knife at large Warg about to lunge at Dwalin. He nodded, and I rushed to his side, fighting back-to-back with him as Legolas moved on, searching for Tauriel amidst the chaos. "Dwalin, where are the princes?" I asked desperately. "Where are Kili and Fili?"_

_ "With Thorin!" he bellowed, swinging his axe with deadly precision. "They're with the king!"_

_ I looked around desperately, searching the battlefield for any sign of the one I loved, and finally I saw him and his brother standing back to back in front of Thorin, one armed with a bow and the other with a sword. With a yell, I began fighting my way through the carnage, struggling to reach them. _

_ A memory was fighting to resurface; a vision I had once had, but I wouldn't think about it. '_Not now,_' I thought desperately. '_Not here_.'_

_ Yards away from the trio, I caught a movement from the corner of my eye, and without hesitation, I leaped forward, catching the point of the arrow on my bow. I cursed and looked down at the ruined weapon before swinging it onto my back and drawing my long knives. Fili, thankfully, had taught me to carry and use throwing knives in addition to my fighting ones, something that I was incredibly grateful for as I began fighting alongside my beloved and his brother, protecting the king as I had promised so long ago._

_ "Kili," I panted, bringing my knives up and blocking a sword stroke meant for his neck. With a yell, I kicked the orc away and sliced his throat open, raising my arm to shield my face from the black blood that spurted out of its corpse. "Get your family, and get out of here!"_

_ "No, not without you!" He yelled. As I turned to yell at him not to worry about me, his yellow-fletched arrow pierced the head of an orc about to take mine off, and I turned my attention to the matter at hand._

_ "I'll be fine!" I yelled, elbowing an orc in the throat and slicing the hand off of another, gagging when some of its blood came in contact with my mouth. Seeing that the youngest prince was unrelenting, I turned to his brother, keeping one eye on him and one on the fight. "Fili!" I yelled desperately, hope for the line of Durin fading more and more by the second. "Get your brother and get out of here, _please_!_ _I will be fine, I promise; I'll protect Thorin and keep him safe, just _go_!"_

_ His blue eyes met mine for a second, and the next thing I knew, one of his knives flew past my face, missing my ear by a hair's breadth and killing an orc that had snuck up behind me. _

_ "Pay attention to the fight, princess!" Thorin's voice came from behind me. I glanced back to see him fighting Bolg, the son of Azog the Defiler. The dwarf king was winning, however, and my heart felt lighter knowing he was, for the moment, somewhat safe. "Do what you can to protect my nephews, I'll be fine!" For the first time in a long time, I sensed no trace of darkness in him, and hope began building inside me once again that everything would be okay. _

_ It was short lived. Seconds later Fili cried out, and I turned to see him, face twisted with pain, breaking off the shaft of an arrow stuck in his shoulder. He continued fighting, his right arm not nearly as strong as before. I moved to stand next to him, providing strength where he could not. _

_ We continued for what could have been hours before Kili yelled in agony. I whirled around to see him clutching at his chest, which was soaked in blood. "NO!" I screamed. He looked up and met his brother's gaze before a terrifying look crossed over Fili's and he began fighting with renewed vigor, obliterating anything that came near to his baby brother. I leaped forward and steadied the prince, shaking and no longer thinking of the battle. _

_ "I'm fine," he grunted, face twisted in pain. "We have to protect Uncle."_

_ I nodded and together we continued fighting. We began cutting through armor as if it were paper, shredding flesh as though it were autumn leaves. As Kili gasped again, this time because of an arrow that punctured his upper arm, all reason left me, and I screamed, standing and attacking anything that came near to him. In minutes, the orcs had formed a loose semicircle around Fili, Kili, and I, trying to end us. I continued fighting, oblivious to any wounds I received._

_ '_Protect, protect, protect_,' The word echoed through by entire being with every beat of my heart and I suddenly became aware of the blood streaming down my face, mixing with the sweat and tears already there. I didn't care._

_ The goblin ranks began thinning out as the battle wore on, and the king was still alive. I could see Dwalin fighting his way towards us, and I began to have hope that we would survive this. _

_ That is, until I glanced around, just in time to see Fili fall to his knees and then onto his back, several arrows in his chest. Kili was by his side, holding his brother's head in his lap, not fighting. I moved and stood above them, fighting off enemies from all sides, and suddenly, a great shout rose up from all sides. _

_ I chanced a glance upwards and saw something I'd never thought I'd see again: a flock of Giant Eagles, headed for the battlefield. I could feel my energy draining rapidly, and I began cursing orcs, swearing under my breath. _

_ I felt feverish and weak, but still I fought, struggling to protect those closest to me. An enormous eagle, the king, if I remembered correctly, began picking off the orcs closest to me, giving me a bit of breathing room as all the other orcs turned to fight the giant bird off. _

_ I fell to my knees beside the brothers, forgetting about the battle and the king and caring about nothing but my beloved who now had a gaping wound in his side; the armor on his left side had been completely torn off, giving my eyes complete access to the mangled and bloodied flesh underneath. He lay on the ground facing his brother, weeping. One glance told me that the golden haired dwarf was dead, and my heart broke at the sight of my love weeping over his brother's body. Kili was gasping for breath as he wept, eyes struggling to stay open. I brushed his hair back, crying and begging him to stay awake._

_ "I'm so sorry," I cried, bowing my head as tears streamed down my face and onto the blood soaked ground under me. "I failed you both, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I wept._

_ He gasped, voice watery, and I pressed my forehead to his, my hands covering his and his brother's, which were clasped tightly together. "No, you didn't," he croaked, brown eyes locked on mine. "You did your best, and that is enough. I have kept my promise, I have kept you safe."_

_ "W-what?" I whispered, confused and angry and lost. _

_ "You're safe," he gasped, smiling faintly. "Nothing else matters now."_

_ I looked up briefly in time to catch the eye of Thorin, who was scanning the field for his nephews as he fought the pale orc's heir. Nothing could compare to the look of shock and grief that crossed his face, and the scream of agony that tore from his lips nearly made a new wave of tears burst from me._

_ "But you're not," I cried, "I failed you."_

_ "Don't say that," he whispered. He struggled with something in his pocket, and I looked down as he pulled his Runestone from it, pressing it into my hand. "You saved me," he whispered. Hesitating for a moment, he looked up at me. "Please… give this to my mother for me…" _

_ "Don't say that," I shook my head, refusing to give up. "You will make it home, I promise, you'll give it to her yourself, you—"_

_ "Aeyera," he whispered, eyes on mine. He raised his hand and brushed my face as a tear slipped down his cheek. I leaned into his hand, gripping it tightly. "I love you," he gasped, shuddering. "I love you."_

_ "Kili," I cried, hugging him tighter. I pressed my lips to his, begging him to stay with me. "I love you, please, please stay with me!" _

_ He coughed, choking on his own blood, and I began begging and crying hysterically, terrified of being abandoned._

_ "Please," I cried. "Please!"_

_ "Tell Uncle…" Kili gasped. "He didn't… fail us…" Taking one last, shuddering breath, the prince, my beloved, fell back, eyes staring blackly at the sky overhead._

_ I stared at him in shock, still not believing that he was gone. "No," I said, shaking his shoulder, "NO!" I shrieked. "No, Kili, no, please!" I screamed, pulling his body to my chest. "Please, no!" He didn't move. I pressed my hand to his chest, praying for a heartbeat. There was none, and I broke, the dam containing my grief shattering. I sobbed, cradling his limp body in my arms. "I love you, I love you, I love you," I cried, keeping my forehead pressed to his. "I love you, I love you, I love you."_

_-o-_

I opened my eyes, tears streaming down my face as sleep left me. I knew with utter certainty that this had no more been a dream than my memory had. This was a vision, a vision of the future. Very few elves receive them, one being Elrond of Rivendell. I looked over to see Kili lying beside me. _ 'Beloved?' _I wondered. _'Yes,' _I thought._ 'Visions don't lie.'_

I stood and walked into the garden, where early morning sunlight washed everything clean. I made it to the center of the garden before falling to my knees, face in my hands, weeping. "How many times must I fail?" I asked aloud, shaking.

A voice—Kili's voice—spoke softly in my head. _'Visions don't lie,' _it said gently. _'But what they show is not written in stone.'_

_-o-_

**_Alright, once again I'd like to thank you all for reading this, it means alot to me :) Also, I updated tonight because tomorrow morning I am leaving for three weeks and will be unable to reach my computer until late the night of the 23rd of July. Look for an update before the 30th, and I hope to see all of your usernames soon! Also, I love constructive reviews, so feel free to give some :)_**

**_See you all soon!_**

**_-KT_**


	4. Chapter 4

By the time someone came looking for me, I had moved to sit on the edge of the fountain, my boots cast aside and my leggings rolled up past my knees. It was mid-morning; I had sat here for several hours, thinking about the vision I had had the night before. It was rare I could focus on one thing for so long a time, and I found that the state of where I was affected how well I could concentrate. For example, if I were still in Dol Guldur, I would not be able to concentrate on anything but memories and nightmares and death. On the other hand, if I were in Rivendell, I would be able to concentrate considerably better than other alternatives. This place: Beorn's home… I was able to rest here. All the same, my thoughts were troubled and dark.

I sat on the weathered marble seat, my feet in the water, the sun in my hair, and darkness in my mind. _'How can I avoid this fate?' _I thought, imagining different scenarios in my mind, each more desperate than the last. I kicked at the water, feeling it splash up onto my skin. _'How can I save them?'_

"Aeyera?"

Fili's voice reached my ears, but it was as if I was hearing it from underwater, and I didn't turn around. Instead, I stood up on the edge of the fountain and stepped into it, letting the waist-deep water to lap around my hips and soak my tunic. I closed my eyes and dove into the water, letting it soak my body as I tried to concentrate. It was rare that I could achieve this: the blending of dream and reality, the elves' version of sleep. _'How can I save them?'_

I stood, water cascading off me, and Fili tried again, growing agitated. I was rudely jerked from my thoughts, scowling. "Aeyera, we need to talk."

I sighed in frustration as my concentration slipped away completely, leaving me with nothing but a few impossible ideas and wet clothing. "About what?" I finally asked, moving to sit on the edge of the fountain again and allowing myself to dry. As he moved closer, I pulled my dripping hair over to one side and began braiding it over one shoulder, keeping it out of my face. It wasn't as if I had no interest for what Fili was trying to say—I did—but I had a feeling it had to do with Kili, and I had no desire to discuss my feelings with said person's brother.

"About my brother," he said. I stopped what I was doing, snapping my gaze to his frozen form and narrowing my eyes. He looked somewhat uncomfortable about approaching this particular topic with me, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly reconsidering his choice to confront me.

"What about him?" I replied somewhat testily, finishing the braid and tying it off with a thin leather band. I swung my legs over the side of the fountain and faced him, toes digging into the lush turf. It was rare for a dwarf to be nervous, especially one from the line of Durin, so I knew what he had to say was important. I just didn't know if I wanted to hear it.

Fili took a deep breath before plowing forward, eyes fixed on mine. "I know you overheard us talking yesterday," he said softly, sitting down on a bench across from me, "and I know you feel something for my brother."

I looked down, breathing heavily, angry at myself for being such a fool, angry at Fili for being so protective and curious, angry at Kili for stealing my heart… angry at everything. Feeling the sting of tears, I blinked them away before looking back up at the blonde dwarf and raising my head up, straightening my shoulders. "Why would you—?"

"I saw you crying, Princess," he said, sounding exasperated. "And I've seen the way you look at him." I felt a flush begin creeping up my neck, and I began twisting my brother's ring around my finger nervously. "What is that?" he asked suddenly, sounding alarmed.

I held up my hand so he could see the ring, but I did not take it off. "It's my brother's ring," I said softly, watching him in confusion as he slumped forward, relieved. "He gave it to me the last time we saw each other. Why?"

"I thought…" he trailed off, sounding embarrassed.

I finished the thought for him. "You thought Kili gave it to me," I said softly, understanding. He flushed, but didn't bother answering. "Why are you so against this, Fili?" I whispered.

"Because I don't know that it's what is best for my brother," he answered harshly. We stared at each other for a moment; green eyes boring into blue, until Bofur's voice broke the silence and made both of us look away.

"Aeyera? Fili?" Bofur's voice carried out to us from the house, and we both turned towards it. "Breakfast!"

I stood and grabbed my boots, but before I could escape to the house, Fili grabbed my arm. "Do you love him?" Fili asked, watching me carefully. I froze, eyes trained on the open door ahead of me. "Do you love Kili?" He repeated sharply.

I turned to him slowly, shaking, as a million answers careened around inside my head. I decided on the truth, knowing that the prince would find out the truth eventually. "Yes," I whispered.

He nodded and released my arm, looking a decade older than he had a moment before. "I thought so," he said simply.

"Don't tell him!" I yelped desperately as he turned to go inside, grabbing his arm tightly. "Please don't tell him!"

He faced me, his face drawn. His eyes saddened as he looked at me. "I won't," he promised. "But you will."

"I can't," I whispered. I felt as though my heart was being pulled in two directions: half towards Kili, and half towards the Undying Lands. I had to leave, that much was certain, if I wished to live; but I found myself wishing that I could spend what little time I had left with Kili before passing on.

"You can," he said, pulling his arm away. "I know you're dying, Princess." I froze, staring wide-eyed at the prince. "Kili doesn't. If you keep leading him on, he'll be heartbroken, and it will be even harder for you to let go when the time comes."

"B-but I—" I stammered, close to tears. "I don't—"

"Aeyera," he said, stepping closer and taking my hands in his. I hadn't felt this young in forever, and I knew that Fili was just trying to protect the two of us. It didn't make it any easier. "I don't want you or my brother to get hurt."

I nodded, my vision swimming. "I know. That's why I can't tell him. I promised I would take protect the line of Durin, and I can't do that if my heart is telling to protect only one. If I tell Kili I love him, then he will try to protect me, and—wait. Does… does he—?" I gulped, suddenly unable to breathe properly. "Does he love _me_?" I managed. I had overheard their conversation, yes, but 'love' and 'like' are very different, and I had no desire to be led on any more than Kili did.

He nodded wearily. "Yes. You know now why I confronted you," he said. "You feel something for each other. Feelings that are now sparks, but that can grow into a flame that can consume us all. When you tell him, you need to tell him it will not work out between you. That is the only way to protect you both."

"Princess! Brother!" Kili's voice caught my attention, and I swung around to face the beaming dwarf. "Come inside," he called, grinning.

"We're on our way, Kili," Fili called. As we headed in, he gripped my shoulder tightly. "It is your choice," he whispered ominously in my ear before stepping away and following his brother inside.

I took a deep breath and followed them inside, making a choice. I would tell Kili eventually about how I felt, but not now. And I wouldn't lie: I wouldn't hurt him by saying I didn't love him.

I walked inside, blinking quickly as my eyes adjusted to the dim atmosphere. All the dwarves were sitting at Beorn's table, and the skin-changer was walking around the perimeter of the table, filling up the dwarves' flagons with fresh milk. I stood against a support beam, watching the meal silently. No one was speaking, and a very tense silence reigned over the room.

"It is nice to see you again, old friend," I said, smiling. Beorn straightened up and turned to me, eyes wide in surprise, before scooping me up in a hug. I laughed with him as he set me down, beaming.

"My princess," he said happily, his voice deep. "It truly is an honor to see you again."

"Much time has passed," I agreed. "But I am here, and I am well."

A knowing look passed over his face. "I do not know if that is true," he said, "but no matter. My heart is gladdened to see you in good health once more." He turned and continued serving the dwarves, a smile on his face.

The room was silent for several more minutes, and by the time he spoke again, the smile had disappeared from his face. As he poured Fili's drink, he spoke, his voice brooding. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield," he said to Thorin, who leaned against a pillar at the edge of the gathering. "Tell me," he said, turning around and fixing him with his piercing gaze, "why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Thorin and I both froze, and his eyes went wide as he clenched his fists. "You know of Azog," he said. He looked to be struggling to maintain his composure, and fear was clear in his eyes. He turned around to look at Beorn, curious. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains," Beorn said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "Before the orcs came down from the North." He paused, his face expressionless, but his eyes grieved. "The defiler killed most of my family." I looked away. I had guessed this, but had not asked him. '_We are the same, he and I. Both have lost what we loved most to darkness. We both are alone.' _"But some he enslaved," he said. My eyes travelled to his wrists, where the remains of chains still hung, and I looked down quickly. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport." His voice was bitter and angry, and anger and hatred towards the darkness grew inside me as well. "Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." I closed my eyes, feeling tears pricking at the corners of them.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo spoke up, curious.

"Once there were many," Beorn whispered, turning away.

"And… now?" Bilbo frowned.

"Now there is only one."

Each member of the company drew a sharp breath, feeling grieved for this man: the last of his kind. "You need to reach the Mountain before the last days of autumn," he said, sitting down.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf nodded, raising his pipe. Thorin looked as though he would like nothing more than to strangle the wizard.

"You are running out of time," Beorn said.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf said. I jumped horribly upon hearing the name, and I looked at him as though he had betrayed me. In a way, he had.

"A darkness lies upon that forest," Beorn said grimly, glancing at me. "Fell things creep beneath those trees." I shuddered as his unblinking gaze fell upon the rest of the company, which shifted restlessly. "There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur." A cold chill raced down my spine and I gripped the post tightly to keep from falling over as the blood drained from my face. "I would not venture there, except in great need."

"We will take the elven road," Gandalf said reassuringly. "Their path is still safe."

"'Safe'?" Beorn repeated as Thorin stood and began moving away from the table. "The wood-elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin." At his words, the eyes of most of the company travelled to me. "They are less wise, and more dangerous. Simply compare your princess to the elves of Rivendell, and you will see a glimpse of what I mean. But it matters not," he whispered.

Thorin turned around. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with orcs," he said ominously. "Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." The faces of all the company turned white with horror, including Thorin's. Beorn stood suddenly, pushing back his chair, and I jumped as he made his way to the dwarf-king, banding under the eaves of the roof. "I don't like dwarves," he growled, straightening to his full height. "They're greedy, and blind," he picked up a mouse Bofur had carelessly brushed off his sleeve. "Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." Thorin watched him, eyes glimmering in defiance with what I could have sworn were tears as Beorn watched the small, white creature in his hand. "But orcs I hate more," he said softly, eyes widening. Thorin looked surprised. The mouse peeked out over the edge of his large hand. "What do you need?"

At this point, I had ducked outside, feeling sick. Not only had Beorn scared me—I truly though he had been about to attack the dwarves—but I also had learned that I was going home to the Greenwood, now christened 'Mirkwood'. I couldn't go there—I was an exile! The instant I stepped foot in those woods, I was writing myself a prison sentence.

"Aeyera!" Kili called.

I had found my way into a large tree, and I looked down sourly at the dwarf below me. "What?" I called back bitterly. "Come to ask if I mind being bait? Maybe you can offer me to my father as a 'Get-through-Mirkwood-free' pass!"

"Calm down!" Kili said, sounding wrong-footed by my outburst. "What are you talking about?"

I swung myself down, landing on my feet in front of him. "We're going through Greenwood the Great," I said, panicking. "Except now it's called Mirkwood. My home, which I was exiled from two hundred years ago! My father and brother live there, and the instant they find out I'm back, I'll be thrown into prison for the rest of eternity!"

Kili looked alarmed and slightly frightened at the sight of me, in tears, panting from exertion. My hands were on my knees, and I was bent over, gasping. He pat my shoulder awkwardly, clearly not knowing what to do. "It's going to be alright," he said, trying to calm me down. "We won't let them take you. _I _won't let them take you," he added under his breath.

I stood, shaking out my shoulders as Gandalf and Thorin came outside. "My dear elf," Gandalf began, but I cut him off, speaking angrily in elvish.

"_Mithrandir, why would you not tell me we were going through the Greenwood?_" I snapped. "_You of all people know that it is one of the most dangerous places in Middle Earth for dwarves to travel!_"

Gandalf did not respond in elvish, rather, he spoke in the language of the Westron, allowing the others to listen to at least his half of the conversation. "Princess," he said tiredly, "if I had told you, it would merely have given you an excuse to throw a fit that much sooner." I flushed angrily as he continued. "Besides, Mirkwood is the only safe way to the Mountain. Going South would lead to Dol Guldur, and heading North would lead to Ered Mithrim, which is perilously close to Mount Gundabad and the Grey Mountains. So unless you wish to explore the Necromancer's fortress or the breeding grounds of the Wargs, I suggest you grow accustomed to the fact that our road leads through your old home, and that we are travelling there whether you wish it or not!"

I turned and walked away, biting my tongue to keep from cursing the wizard with all the breath in my lungs. As I rounded the corner of the house, I ran into Beorn, who was carrying a leather bag, which was dwarfed by his large hands. "These are the clothes you left behind when last you were here," he said, handing them to me.

I thanked him, still angry. "Beorn?" I asked, having a sudden thought.

"Hm?" He replied, turning around.

"Is there anywhere I can clean myself off?" I asked. He nodded and pointed to a small lake behind his house, surrounded by a thick wooded area, which was about a square quarter of a mile, which would shield me from prying eyes. The entire area, including his house, was surrounded by a tall, thick hedge, which kept the orcs and wargs away.

"I will keep the dwarves away," he said, smiling serenely. "But just in case," he added, "take this dog with you. She will bark if anyone approaches." He whistled, and a beautiful white wolf trotted over, clearly tame. "Her name is _Ehiela_," he said. "I believe it means 'devoted' in your language." She pressed her muzzle into my hand and licked it once, wagging her tail. With a smile, I nodded and headed over to the water, casting nervous looks around me as Ehiela stayed by my side.

Once I was deep in the woods and convinced no one had followed me, I sat down at the water's edge and began pulling off my tunic. I sighed as I surveyed the damage done to my underclothes when I reached them. I had tied the ends together, but it was a miracle they had stayed on for so long. I lay my boots and worn leather corset on the grass to stay dry and pulled the rest of my dirty clothes into the water with me. Once I was convinced the dirt was mostly out of them, I lay them on the shore to dry before turning and jumping into the water. The pond was large enough that Beorn in his bear form would have no trouble swimming comfortably, and was deep enough that, while Beorn could touch, I could not.

There were several boulders sticking up out of the water, and I leaned against one as I scrubbed months of grime off my skin with a piece of cloth. It had never felt so good to be clean. Such was my joy that I did not notice anyone approaching until Ehiela barked and growled. I jumped behind the boulder, bright red, fully aware that I was wearing absolutely _nothing._

"Aeyera?" Kili called. I wrapped my arms around my chest, scowling. "How, whoa," he said, sounding nervous. "Easy there…" Ehiela barked menacingly, and I didn't have to look to see that she was about to attack.

"_Ehiela, come!_" I called in elvish. She instantly trotted over to where she could see me and sat down, watching Kili warily.

"Aeyera, is that you?" Kili asked.

"Obviously," I snapped, still beet red. "I'm busy right now, please go back to the house and wait for an appropriate time to talk."

"What? But why…" it became obvious that he had noticed my clothes and where he was, and I could hear the embarrassment in his voice. "Oh, _Mahal… _I'm so—I didn't… I'll go!" I heard him turn and book it back to the house, and not until Ehiela relaxed did I come out from behind the boulder and finish cleaning myself off. Once I pulled on the clean clothes Beorn had given me, as well as my boots and corset, I clicked my tongue, and together Ehiela and I made our way back to Beorn's house.

Every time I thought of Kili, I would blush bright red. '_He caught me bathing, for Seldarine's sake… what would the others think if he had told them?! Did he see anything? Oh, please let him not have seen anything…_'

As I entered the house, the place went silent, and several dwarves winked at me before nodding their heads to Kili, who sat, looking mortified, in his corner. As I approached and set my belongings down, he spoke up, talking at the speed of light. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't know you were bathing, I just didn't know where you were after you stormed off and I didn't want you getting hurt, so I followed you, but I swear I didn't see anything, and—"

"Kili," I said, relieved that he hadn't seen anything but annoyed that he had told the others what had happened. "Forget it."

"So, princess," Bofur spoke up, grinning childishly. "How was your bath?"

At the sight of Kili's and my bright red faces, the others all began laughing, and I wouldn't have minded if not for the dark look Fili cast my way.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day passed as awkwardly as the morning had, with several exceptions. First of all, Thorin found out what had happened and now raised his eyebrows at both Kili and myself whenever he passed us by.

Secondly, several of the dwarves had taken to strewing flower petals along the ground in front of me, asking me questions like, 'Do I hear wedding bells in your future?' or, 'When will you need to start looking for baby names?' The second one came from Fili, whose eyes still were dark with anger, and I had chased him around the house, yelling at the top of my lungs like the mature two hundred year old elf princess that I was. Even though I knew he had said it in jest, the fact that he would _dare_ suggest that I had lost my honor to someone who was not my husband was something neither my people nor I took lightly. Once Gandalf had found and shielded Fili from my wrath, he sat him down and explained all this to him while a concerned Beorn dragged me from the room.

The final ripple, which was the one that made me the saddest, was that Kili and I were avoiding one another. This made me incredibly sad because, although I was indescribably embarrassed by what had taken place that morning, he remained my dearest friend, whom I did not wish to lose.

"Aeyera, we need to talk," Beorn's deep voice reached my ears, and I looked up, surprised. I was sitting on a bench by the fountain, thinking, and unconsciously keeping the heel of my hand pressed against the place I had been stabbed so long ago. "You are quiet," he said, sitting next to me with a grunt. "And much too solemn for a wood elf. Why?"

"Why do you think, my friend?" I asked softly, rubbing my side to ease the discomfort I felt.

"I think that the sea is calling you home," he finally answered. "And you do not know how to answer its call." I nodded, silent, and we sat together, taking comfort in each other's presence, neither saying a word as the sun set over the mountains to the West.

As the stars began to appear, Beorn spoke again. "Be careful, Princess," he said, rising to his feet. "The same darkness that corrupts the Greenwood lives in you. Do not allow yourself to be overcome by it, or all will be lost."

I nodded, a lump in my throat, as he turned and strode away to make plans with Gandalf before changing and guarding us from the orcs that still stalked the Company.

"Princess?"

I looked over my shoulder and scowled at Fili, who was now standing behind me. "What?" I growled. "Have you come to give suggestions for baby names?"

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he sat down next to me. "No," he chuckled softly, "Although I do have a few in mind." I looked away, pulling my knees up to my chest as he continued. "I came to apologize to you for my behavior." I huffed, resting my chin on my knees, and he laughed sadly. "I should not have asked such a thing from you," he said, "and I should not have responded so angrily when you did not do as I asked. I don't know what came over me."

"Nothing happened, you know," I told him in a small voice, watching my mother's constellation appear. "He didn't see anything."

He sighed. "I know. I just felt that you were deliberately trying to spite me because of what I asked of you, and for that I am sorry. I know that neither you nor my brother would dishonor yourselves in such a way, and I am sorry for assuming as much."

I nodded and glanced over at him. "I forgive you," I murmured. "But… why would you be so furious at the thought of your brother and I being together?"

He was silent for a moment, and I waited and listened as the crickets around us began to chirp. "I suppose… I suppose that it's because I don't want either of you to be hurt when this is all over. You are dying, and I don't know what happens when an elf dies, but it doesn't sound good. Kili, if we survive this, will be a prince, and if Thorin and I do not make it, the king. Whatever happens, there will be heartbreak at the end of this journey. I only wished to spare you both from it."

"I thank you," I said, looking up into his eyes, "but I would rather have you as a friend than as an advisor."

He smiled. "I agree, princess. Come on," he said after a moment. "We should get some rest; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I shuddered and followed him in, barely limping. Ehiela bounded over to me, yipping happily, and I rubbed her head before going inside to join the others. I sat down next to Kili, who blushed, and ignored the smirks and winks from the rest of the company.

"So, princess," Thorin began, sounding grave.

I groaned, slamming my hand down on the table as I stood, pushing back my chair. "For the final time," I said, forcing my voice to stay at a normal pitch, "_nothing _happened. I swear, I will feed the next dwarf who asks me a question about what happened this morning to Beorn!"

Saying this, I turned and left the house, coming to a stop outside by the fountain, which had been my sanctuary most of the day. "Aeyera!" I looked over my shoulder to see an irritated Thorin making his way over to me. "Why did you storm off?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I did not wish to face any more mocking speech, courtesy of the company," I admitted bitterly. I glanced up to see a slight smile on the king's face, and I turned aside. "Traitor," I muttered.

He laughed softly. "You remind me so much of my sister," he said wistfully. "She was much like you when she was young, before the death of her husband." I looked at him questioningly. "Her name is Dís," he explained, "and she is incredibly stubborn, even by the standards of dwarves. She has a pure heart, though," he said. By now we had walked out of view of the doorway and were making our way across the garden towards the wooded area from earlier. "When she found her One," he said, "Kiri, she was teased by my brother and I as well. Of course," he added hastily, "I was barely of age… quite immature at the time."

I laughed, wondering why he seemed to be comparing mine and Kili's teasing to that of Dís and Kiri. "Of course," I murmured.

"She and her betrothed had to put up with much of this before they were married, and while they both hated it, it made their relationship stronger. In fact," he recalled, smirking, "I recall a similar incident to yours, when Kiri accidentally walked in on Dís one day. Thankfully, he saw nothing, otherwise my nephews would not have been born." He spoke lightly, but I detected a protective note in his voice directed towards his sister.

Upon hearing it, I felt a pang of regret, which I quickly squelched. My brother and I could have been this close, if I had stayed. He could have watched me grow up; laughed and supported me when I found my One, and been there for me whatever happened. I shook my head, closing my eyes. That future is gone.

"Princess?" Thorin sounded concerned, and I opened my eyes, surprised to find that tears had wound their way down my cheeks. "Are you alright?"

I sniffed, giving him a watery smile as I wiped the tears from my face. "I'm fine, Thorin," I said softly. "It's just…" I trailed off, not wanting to waste my time telling him something he did not wish to hear.

"What is it?" he asked, frowning.

"I had a brother, once," I said, walking forward again. Thorin followed, listening closely. "I still do, I suppose, but I haven't seen him in nearly two hundred years. He is all but gone," I said sadly, "and there is little to no chance of our paths crossing again on this earth."

"Just because one has not seen someone they love in a long time does not mean they still are not a part of you," Thorin said wisely. I wondered if he spoke from experience, whether he lost a brother or his wife or child.

"Whom did you lose?" I asked, looking over at him. His features were softer in the moonlight than they were in the sun, and his shoulders sagged with weariness.

"I have lost many whom I loved," he said, his voice ragged with sorrow. "I lost my grandfather and father, as well as my brother. My One, Nadaí … she took ill and passed on nearly fifty years ago, taking our unborn child with her."

I stared at him, frozen in grief. The same thought that stuck me the night before came to me again. _'We are the same, he and I. Both have lost what we loved most to darkness. We both are alone.' _At the same time, though, we weren't alone. He had his nephews, whom he loved most dearly. I, although I had yet to cross paths with him again, had my brother. There still was light ahead of us, although darkness had tried to overcome us. "I am sorry," I said, touching his arm gently. "I did not know."

He shook his head and sat down on a rock at the edge of the glade, and I sat beside him, my hand on his shoulder as he wept. I could not believe that Thorin, the dwarf king who was so strong in daylight, who was leading his kin to fight against a dragon for his home, could be so weak and broken under the light of the stars.

"I lost my mother when I was very young," I told him, my voice soft and sad. "She fell protecting my brother and I from a company of orcs who attacked us while my father was away. She fought bravely, but…" I stopped, feeling the weight of my sorrow land heavily on my shoulders. "After that, my father hated me," I whispered. "He scolded everything I did, whether we were alone or in the company of others. You saw a glimpse of this when we visited you in Erebor," I told him. "My brother shielded my from it as best he could, once we grew to trust and rely on one another again. My father ignored the pleas of your people, going so far as to lead the army of my kin to your doorstep before turning and leaving for the forests. Some stayed," I told him. "Several companies of elves stayed and fought for you, saving many lives. They were exiled as well; I do not know where they are now."

"What do you mean, 'they were exiled _as well_'?" he asked, turning to me. His weeping had ceased, and I was surprised that he had been listening to me; I had expected him to have ignored what I was saying.

"My father exiled me from the Greenwood," I said softly. "I assumed that it was the case when first I left, but I knew for sure when the company of rangers I travelled with passed too close to the forest's borders. Several elves appeared and warned the rangers not to come closer. When they were questioned as to why they would make such a demand, they pointed to me, saying that the king—my father—had exiled me from those lands long ago, and that to return would cost me my freedom, if not my life… for returning would be committing treason, in my father's eyes. This is why I did not wish to return to the Greenwood. If I do, it is unlikely I will ever leave."

Thorin and I sat, saying nothing, for a long while. _'Quite the pair we make,' _I thought. _'An elf and a dwarf, both broken, and both searching for a home. The difference is that he has a chance of finding happiness there, while nothing but sorrow and pain awaits me in the East.'_

"We should go back," he said, rising and offering me his hand, pulling me to my feet. "I need to tell the others of the journey ahead of us. We must cross through the Mirkwood, and for that I am sorry," he apologized, looking regretful, "but I will not allow any harm to come to you. You have my word," he promised.

"Thank you," I said, sincere. "But do not make a promise you can not hope to keep."

"You should take your own advice as well, Princess," Thorin said, looking over at me. "Did you not promise the wizard to protect my kin and I from harm?"

I froze, closing my eyes. "I did," I finally said, "and I have yet to break the promise."

With that, the two of us walked back to Beorn's house in respectful silence, and I listened from a corner as he relayed his plan to the others: travel with great haste through the Mirkwood, gather supplies in Esgaroth, and then march on to the mountain. He did not, however, mention how he planned on defeating the dragon, and I didn't bring it up.

Once the meeting was over, I stood and made my way outside; I needed no sleep, and the snoring of the dwarves would only distract me from my thoughts. As the night wore on, the moon and stars shone down upon me as I sat, head bowed, praying to Eru that no harm would come to the company as we passed through my homeland.

-O-

At noon the next day, the company and I stood at the threshold of the Mirkwood, peering into the forest. Beorn had stayed behind in his bear form to give us time to escape, but we only had until night, when the orcs would continue their hunt once more.

"The Elven gate," Gandalf said, standing at the border of the wood. He turned to face the rest of us, solemn. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood," he said, ignoring the way my face turned white with fear and apprehension. Thorin glanced at me as if checking on my wellbeing, and I nodded. Now was not the time to display weakness.

"No sign of the orcs…" Dwalin said, shifting restlessly on his pony. "We have luck on our side," he grunted, dismounting. The wizard looked doubtful but said nothing, looking instead up to the mountain a ways away where the form of Beorn could be seen. I could see the wildness in his eyes from this distance, and I suppressed a shudder.

"Set the ponies loose," Gandalf commanded, looking back at us. "Let them return to their master."

"This forest feels… sick," Bilbo said, frowning as he walked over to Gandalf. I stood a few feet away, unwilling to get within a certain distance of the forest unless I had to. "As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" he asked grimly.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles North," the wizard replied, "or twice that distance… South."

The hobbit looked about as disappointed as I felt, and I followed him back to the ponies and horses as Gandalf continued going inside. I had nothing to unload from my horse, since I rode bareback, so I sent him on ahead of the others; I had a feeling that he liked the Mirkwood even less than I did.

Gandalf had ventured a ways inside, but I held back, afraid that my father would appear out of the trees and damn me the instant I stepped foot inside. I blinked and leaned against a pony, feeling suddenly faint as if the darkness inside me was killing me.

"Are you alright?" Ori asked, looking up at me with wide eyes.

I waved him off. "Fine," I mumbled as a pressure built up in my head. I crouched down and grit my teeth as a ringing sounded in my ears. "I'm fine." I shook my head as the darkness inside me leapt up as if in joy, and I pressed a hand to my forehead, shutting my eyes tightly against the feeling as the image of a great eye, wreathed in fire, flashed before my eyes before vanishing without a trace.

"The High Fells," Gandalf said quietly. I tilted my head in confusion; he seemed to be speaking to himself. "So be it. Not my horse!" Gandalf suddenly cried as the dwarves sent the ponies cantering back to Beorn. "I need it!" I opened my eyes as the feeling passed to see the wizard striding towards the confused dwarves, who until then had been unloading the ponies without a problem. Gandalf's horse was the only beast that still remained with us.

The dwarves all began muttering confusedly to each other, asking the wizard why he was leaving, many of them asking 'what?' as if they had heard him wrong.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked darkly, sounding uncharacteristically angry and betrayed.

"I would not do this unless I had to," the wizard replied as a shadow crossed Thorin's face.

The wizard peered down at him, frowning. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins," he said gravely. "You're not the same hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

"I was going to tell you—" Bilbo blurted suddenly. Gandalf raised an eyebrow as he peered down at the hobbit. "I… found something in the goblin tunnels," he said.

"Found what?" the wizard frowned as Bilbo shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. "What did you find?"

Bilbo stayed silent for a moment. "My courage," he gasped, removing his hand from his pocket. I frowned; obviously this was not what he was going to say.

"Good… well, that's good!" Gandalf said, straightening. Bilbo smiled proudly. "You'll need it."

Gandalf proceeded to warn Thorin about staying on the path, and also commanded him not to enter Erebor without him. Right before he left, I ran up and grabbed the horse's reins. "Gandalf, you can't leave," I said. I was in a state of panic; I didn't know where it came from.

He frowned down at me. "My young elf, I must go. Lead the company along your path and all will be well so long as you don't stray from it." He reached over and took ahold of my wrist to loosen my grip, and as he did, my vision from two nights before flashed back through my mind, the force of it knocking me back to the ground. Gandalf's face had gone white, and I knew that he had seen what plagued my mind. He looked down at me, and I knew that his mission had become even graver than before. "Keep it secret," he said quietly, referring to my vision. "Keep it safe."

Without another word, he urged his mount into a gallop, and I was left without a guide at the edge of the Greenwood. "Come on," I said, my mouth dry. "We travel only with the light." With that, we entered Mirkwood, where every step led the company and me closer to imprisonment.


	6. Chapter 6

After five minutes of travelling through the Mirkwood, I understood how much had changed since I last walked the elven paths. After nearly a week of travelling in the Mirkwood, I realized that I never wanted to step foot in this light-forsaken forest again. Each and every member of the company, with the exception of Master Baggins and myself, had pale, ashen skin and dark circles under their eyes. From the way they stepped, staggering into one another, I gathered that they were hallucinating or close to fainting, and I cursed my father, thinking that it was one of his enchantments.

"Aeyera?" Kili asked that night. We could not light a fire because of the giant moths that lived here, so we sat in darkness, waiting desperately for the dawn.

"Hm?" I answered, turning my head to face him. Because of my keen eyesight, I could make out his dim outline and the sleeping forms of the other dwarves scattered around the path.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. "You're quite pale, and you seem…" he trailed off, thinking. "Sick," he finally said, struggling to find a word that described my ailments.

I sighed, feeling weaker than I had in a long time. "I'm fine," I whispered. In the pressing silence, it was if I had shouted. "It's just… this place used to be my home," I explained sadly. "When I lived here, it was the Greenwood, and there were no giant moths, no sickness, no darkness. Each night, the woods would be soaked in starlight and moonlight, so bright that you could travel the same as if it were day." Kili's outline nodded, and I continued. "Elves often reflect the state of the land they are in," I said softly, "and this land, it's…"

"It's dying," Kili finished.

I nodded. "The farther East we go, the worse I will become. Esgaroth, from what I've gathered from the rangers, has fallen into decay, and now is called 'Laketown'. Erebor is under the influence of a dragon. Dale is made up of crumbling ruins. If one travels farther, he would reach Rhûn, before that, the Iron Hills."

"What is Rhûn?" Kili asked. "I've heard of it, but I know nothing of it."

"Rhûn is the East," I explained, "And I am one of the few people in Middle Earth who have been there who did not already live there. There is little to report, as the land is made up of unnamed forests, lakes, and plains. There is a sea there, called the Sea of Rhûn, which is unpleasant and salty. Beyond the sea, there is naught but desert."

"Oh," he said, going silent. After a moment, though, he spoke again. "What happens if you go south?" he asked curiously, "Or north?"

"To go south from here would mean walking into Dol Guldur, something I will never do again." My voice took on a cutting edge, and I shuddered in remembrance of my time as prisoner there. Kili's hand touched my arm hesitantly, and I leaned against him, feeling calmer than I had previously. "The land of Mordor lays south-east of here," I said, resting my head on his shoulder, "But the woods of Lothlórienlay south of the Greenwood." In a quiet, longing voice, I sang of it, wondering if I could rest there after the quest was finished. "_In Dwimordene, in Lórien, seldom have walked the feet of Men, few mortal eyes have seen the light that lies there ever, long and bright. Galadriel! Galadriel! Clear is the water of your well; white is the star in your white hand; unmarred, unstained is leaf and land in Dwimordene, in Lórien, more fair than thoughts of Mortal Men._"

"It sounds beautiful," Kili said. "Who is Galadriel?"

"She is the Lady of Lórien," I said softly, closing my eyes. "That is all I can say, and all you can hear. She is wise and fair, and my wish is to travel there, to Lórien, before I—" I stopped myself suddenly. Kili didn't know that I planned on leaving.

"'Before' what?" Kili asked, frowning.

I took a deep breath. "Nothing," I said. "It's nothing."

We both remained silent for the rest of the night, and when the company awoke, grey faced and bleary eyed, we continued on.

Because of my obvious weakening, Thorin had allowed Nori and Dwalin to lead the company while I hung back with Kili and Fili, who both seemed concerned for me. More than once, I stumbled, only to have one or both of them catch me. I felt faint, and began walking above the trees, dreaming in the way only elves can.

Suddenly, I ran into the back of Balin, who had stopped moving, and snapped back into reality. I looked around, confused, then looked down at my feet, feeling a rush of panic wash over me. I stood on a dirt path strewn with leaves, and several broken, dirty tiles sat underfoot. I didn't know how far from the path we had travelled, but one thing was for sure: we were in serious danger.

"What is it? What's going on?" The dwarves questioned as I forced my way to the front of the company. When I broke through the crowd of dwarves, one of them grabbed my elbow and pulled me back just as I started stepping out into thin air. My heart jumped into my throat as I realized that I had almost walked off the edge of a cliff, and I began shaking violently.

"We've lost the path!"

Thorin turned to the rest of the dwarves as he released his grip on my arm. "Find it. All of you, look!"

"Look for the path!" Dwalin yelled. They obediently begin to search, although all their efforts are in vain. I shook my head suddenly to clear it_. 'We're lost… we're never outing get… getting out.'_ I pressed my hands against my temple and sank down to my knees. _'Come on… pook for the lath… look for the path!' _I let out a frustrated yell and stood, staggering slightly, looking around. All the other dwarves, though they seemed to be searching, were doing so slowly, as if in a dream.

"I don't remember this place," Balin said, looking around, "none of it's familiar."

"It's got to be here," Dori exclaimed.

"It doesn't," I said. No one heeded me.

"What hour is it?" Thorin called. I closed my eyes.

"I don't know, I don't even know what day it is!" One of the dwarves cried.

"Is there no end to this accursed place!?" Thorin yelled. We sat down, resting, and Bilbo sat next to me. I opened my eyes just as Bilbo plucked a thick strand of a massive spider web next to him, which caused a vibration to run through it. If I'd been thinking straight, I would have yelled and grabbed Bilbo's wrist to keep him from touching the web again, and rushed the dwarves away from this accursed resting place. But I wasn't, so I didn't; I only watched as he touched the web again.

A bit of common sense remained, so I stood and staggered over to Thorin. "We need to keep moving," I told him. He nodded and gave the command, and we continued onward through the forest.

We wander for hours, and the dwarves become more and more irritable and disillusioned as we continue on. A few hours before sunset, a commotion from the front of the company caused us all to halt, and I looked around to see why we were no longer moving.

"Look, a tobacco pouch. There's Dwarves in these woods!" Dori said shrilly, eyes bugging out as he took the pouch from Ori. The image was frightening, to say the least, and I felt myself grown more nervous than before.

"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less," Bofur said, examining it with wide eyes. "This is exactly the same as mine!"

Bilbo, the only one who still had their wits about them besides me, stepped in, irritable. "Because it is yours, do you understand? We're going around in circles, we are lost!"

"We are not lost!" Thorin bellowed. "We keep heading east."

"But which way is the east? We've lost the sun!" Dwalin exclaimed hopelessly.

The dwarves begin arguing amongst themselves about whether they're lost or not, shoving each other and yelling furiously.

"The sun," Bilbo muttered, tapping his head and looking around. "We have to find… the sun." He looked up and tapped his head again, a smile on his face. "Up there," he said, turning to the others. "We need to—" he broke off at the sight of the dwarves pushing and hitting each other as they begin fighting.

"Come on," I gasped, shaking my head. I pulled Bilbo over to a nearby tree and boost him into it before following him, reveling in the thought of reaching the sun."Enough! Quite! All of you!" he yelled. "We are being watched," I heard him whisper. If I hadn't been so dizzy, I might have been afraid, but I couldn't focus on anything but the sunlight seeping through the dead leaves and branches above my head.

As my head broke through the canopy, a cool wind hit my face, immediately blowing the cobwebs away from my mind. I was myself again. For the first time since I stepped foot in the Mirkwood, a pang of homesickness hit me. Looking out over the sea of scarlet and gold leaves, glowing like fire in the light of the setting sun, I felt like an elfling again. As I push myself all the way out of the woods, hundreds of blue monarch butterflies lift themselves up off the treetops, swirling around me in the early autumn breeze. It was early September now, or late August, I couldn't tell which. I look around and laugh with joy at the beauty surrounding me. _'This is what all of the Greenwood should be like,' _I thought sadly, _'this is all that is left of Greenwood the Great.'_

Bilbo, whom I had forgotten had come up here with me, was exclaiming, "I can... see a lake! And a... a river." He pushed a branch down, revealing Erebor. "And the Lonely Mountain!" He laughed to himself. "We're almost there!" He looked down, trying to catch a glimpse of the dwarves. "Can you hear me?" he called, "I know which way to go!"

I listened carefully, but heard nothing from below us, and an icy dread seeped through my bones. "Bilbo," I whispered, looking around.

"Hello?!" he yelled, a worried look on his face. He still received no response, so he looked over to the east, where the treetops were moving: something was coming, fast. "Hello," he frowned. He tried to take a step forward but looked down to see that his feet were bound in a spider's web. "Look—" he tripped. "Oh come on, whoa!" he yelled, plunging headfirst off the branch.

"Bilbo!" I yelped, looking down. I felt relieved to see that he had caught himself on another branch, but froze in horror as a giant spider emerged from the shadows and let out an ear-shattering screech before lunging at the hobbit. Bilbo yelled and released the spider's leg, falling down and landing, eagle spread, in the spider's web.

His struggles were fruitless; the spider wrapped him up and began scurrying through the forest, ignoring me. I took a shuddering breath as the shock of what had just happened wore off and the fear of being alone set in. _'I'm alone,' _I thought, beginning to shake. _'And if I'm found by anyone besides my friends, I'll be imprisoned for the remainder of my short life.'_

I closed my eyes and climbed back into the treetops, taking care not to touch any stray webs. Once I was back in the sun, I could think clearly again, and I drew one of my long knives, taking comfort in the familiar, leather-wrapped grip. Taking a deep breath, I began to follow after the spider, praying that I would not be noticed by anything or anyone that would do me harm.

-O-

After what felt like an eternity, I began to hear familiar voices from far below. The first voice I recognized was Thorin's, and he sounded panicked. "Dwalin! Kill it! Kill it!" Taking a deep breath, I crouched down and plunged back into the murky shadows of the Mirkwood.

The first thing I saw was an enormous spider gripping Thorin in several of its legs, only to be beaten off by Dwalin, who swung his ax with deadly precision as he hacked off the spider's legs.

"Fili!" Kili yelled. I sheathed my knife and drew my bow in one movement, sending an arrow flying into the spider's ugly head with the next. At the same time, Fili stabbed the spider and shoved it off his brother before pulling him to his feet.

I remained where I was, firing arrow after arrow, until another spider, this one much bigger than the others, lunged up at me. I let out a shrill scream as I fell backwards off the branch and plunged towards the ground, terrified.

As I fell, my boot was caught in a web, and I yelled in pain as I jerked to a stop, suspended upside-down by my foot. The spider appeared above me, and I realized with no small amount of horror that I couldn't reach my arrows from my position; they were tied in such a way that they couldn't fall out of my bow, but if I tried to reach them, I would never get them out. The dwarves, who didn't hear my scream, continued yelling at each other, urging each other to move.

"Come on, Keep up!" Dwalin yelled, pushing the younger dwarves ahead of him.

Thorin looked around, not seeing any spiders. "Clear—"

They jumped back as a spider landed in front of them, and I looked up to see at least a dozen more descending from the treetops.

The spider that had cornered me tried to get near my face, but I kicked it hard as it moving upwards, using the momentum to turn my body right side up. Sheathing my bow, I drew my knives and began hacking at the spider web, finally falling through the shredded remains to a thick branch below. The spider followed me, but was quickly ended. Once I was on my feet, there was little I couldn't do to defend myself. In all the commotion, I had lost track of the dwarves, and I froze at the sight of a tall, elven warrior skidding to a halt in front of them, his arrow trained at a spot between Thorin's eyes.

"Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf," I heard him say. I still was so dizzy from fear that I couldn't make out his face, but it was coming into sharper focus now that anger was replacing my terror. "It would be my pleasure."

Suddenly, screams for help rent the air and I turned, the blood draining from my face, to see who it was. "Kili!" Fili screamed, unable to help his brother because of the elven guard holding him at arrow point.

Leaping off the branch, I fell a good thirty feet before landing, rolling down to the ground, jumping back up, and using the momentum to hurl my knife into the spider's skull. It let out a small squeal as it crumpled to the ground, and I yanked the knife out and began fighting another spider, panting. With a yell, I pushed it back, slicing my blade across one of its mandibles, causing it to shriek in pain and cower back. Kili, who until now had been frozen in a sort of dazed stupor, suddenly snapped out of it.

"Behind you!" he yelled. Before I could turn around, my legs were swept out from under me, and I fell hard, hitting my head on a rock. As I lay gasping, the wind knocked out of me, Kili tried to pull me up but only succeeded in pulling me halfway into his lap. My vision was fuzzy, but I vaguely could make out a red-haired warrior fighting off the spiders with amazing agility and grace.

"Throw me a dagger!" Kili yelled as I blinked, my vision going back to normal. "Quick!"

The she-elf ignored him, not noticing when I stood and began running back to the main company, drawing both knives as I ran.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, Dwarf, you are mistaken!" As she spoke, she turned and flung her dagger at the spider haunting Kili, which quickly ended it. Suddenly, an arrow embedded itself in the trunk of a tree not two inches from my face, and I stopped running, feeling anger bubbling up inside me as I panted for breath. "Do not move," I heard her say. Without answering, I swung around, lashing out with my knife. She countered, using her other dagger to try and slash across my ribs. With a growl, I jumped back, blocking out everything but the fight. As we continued to fight, I realized how different fighting a fellow elf was as opposed to fighting an orc, or even a man. In those fights, with the exception of several rangers, there was no grace involved; the entire fight was a tangle of lunges, parries, and strikes. Fighting an elf, however, was similar to dancing. Each strike was planned out, and both opponents moved with grace, measuring each blow carefully before dealing it.

Swinging my leg out, I managed to trip the she-elf, but as she landed on her back, I felt the cold, steel tip of an arrow pressed against the back of neck. I froze, breathing heavily as the angry voice of the commanded of the elves reached my ears. "If you move, I will kill you," he growled. The she-elf stood, her face flushed with anger, and she disarmed me, taking my knives, my bow, and my arrows. The elf behind me lowered his bow—I could tell because the arrowhead no longer touched my skin—but traded the bow for a dagger, which he held to my throat. I had a feeling that he thought I was a dwarf—if he knew that I was an elf, he wouldn't be treating me like this. However, I'd rather him think I was a dwarf than a princess; the instant my identity was realized, I was a prisoner. The elf walked me back to the main group and shoved my forward, removing his knife. Fili caught me, whispering a hurried 'Thank you' as Kili joined the group as well. The other dwarves were being disarmed, and I couldn't help but smirk slightly when Fili's turn came. He had so many weapons hidden in various pockets of his clothes that it would be a miracle if everything were found.

However, my smirk quickly turned into a glower as one of the elves turned to me, and I held up my hands. "Nothing for you to take," I growled, glaring at him.

The she-elf and the commander began speaking quietly in Elvish, but I caught their conversation all the same.

_"Are the spiders dead?" _The leader asked.

"_Yes, but more will come," _The she-elf answered. _"They're growing bolder."_

I looked up and choked, freezing, as one of the elves handed the commander Thorin's sword. I didn't even respond to the elf searching me, I was so afraid.

_ "__This is an ancient Elvish blade," _my brother said._ "Forged by my kin." _He turned to Thorin, holding the sword delicately. "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me," Thorin whispered. Legolas pointed the edge of the sword at Thorin, and I tensed.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well," he sneered.

"Let us go!" I commanded angrily, striding to the front of the company. The few dwarves that knew my story tried to hold me back, but I shook them off. "We have done nothing wrong," I growled, looking up at the startled face of my brother.

"You are trespassing on the land that belongs to the Woodland Realm and the Elven king Thranduil," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. I recalled my reflection in Beorn's lake, and how much older I appeared now than when we last had met, and I knew I was wasting my chance at remaining undiscovered, but I didn't care.

"Since when has Thranduil prevented weary travellers from passing through the forest?" I asked haughtily.

"You must be young indeed, dwarf, if you do not know the answer to that," he replied. "It has been nearly two centuries since dwarves were allowed on our land."

"I am older than you think," I replied angrily.

"Know your place, dwarf," he snapped. Without thinking, I brought my hand back to strike him, and he grabbed my wrist, holding me in place. The remained of both companies fell silent in shock as the two of us stood, glaring at one another. "How dare you," he snarled, tightening his grip on my arm like a vice. "How dare you attack the prince of the Woodland Realm, dwarf."

I felt the fight drain out of me as I stared into the eyes of the elf who was my brother, and my shoulders slumped under the weight of the anger and hatred and grief in his gaze. _"What happened to you?" _I asked.

Both he and the other elves started when they realized that I could speak elvish, and my brother frowned. _"How—?" _he started. His gaze drifted over to my hand, which he still held, and his scowl deepened. _"How did you come by this?" _he asked angrily. I looked over to see his ring still safely on my finger, and I understood that he thought I had somehow stolen it._"This belonged to me, how did you—?"_

_ "You gave it to me," _I whispered, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. _"Don't you remember?"_

He stared at me in shock, and my heart warmed as recognition flared in his eyes. _"Aeyera?" _he whispered, touching my face and letting go of my wrist. Tears burned my eyes as he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, one hand in my hair and the other on my back. I gripped him back tighter, burying my face in his chest. _"You're alive," _he whispered shakily. _"Thank Eru, you're alive."_


	7. Chapter 7

Neither of us moved until a sudden thought struck us both. Legolas pulled away, something akin to terror in his gaze. "What are you going here?" he hissed, pulling me a few yards away from the main group, keeping a vice-like grip on my upper arms. "You know better than to come back after what you did! And now you come back in the company of _dwarves_?! What were you thinking?"

I looked up at him with wide eyes, feeling his body shaking nearly as much as my own. "I have to get to Esgaroth," I said softly. "And I was leading the dwarves through the Green—" I gulped, "—through Mirkwood. Spiders attacked us when we strayed from the path, and we encountered each other here. Brother, we have done nothing wrong, please let us pass," I begged.

He hesitated for a moment, looking over at the she-elf behind us. I glanced over to see Tauriel, my dear friend. _"Tauriel," _I whispered, smiling._ "It has been too long, my friend."_

_ "It is good to see you again, Princess," _she said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. She turned to my brother and leaned in to him, whispering in his ear so that we could hear her but no one else could. _"Legolas, you know the rules of your father," _she said, looking down at me apologetically. _"If we do not bring her in, he will send someone else who will. It is better for your sister to be brought in now so you and I will be responsible for her than for someone else to do so that will lock your sister away forever."_

My brother had gone quite pale, nearly as pale as I had. He looked down at me, sorrow and anger present in his gaze. Sorrow at losing me again, anger for having to listen to our father. _"So be it," _he said. He leaned down for a moment so that his lips brushed my ear as he breathed words so soft I could barely hear them. _"I am sorry," _he whispered. _"But what I am about to do will save your life." _He turned back to the other elves. "Take her," he said, pushing me gently towards the main group. The dwarves were protesting my treatment, the younger ones glaring angrily at my brother and the surrounding elves.

One of the elves tied my arms behind my back, and although I was angry, my rage was not directed at my brother. He did what he had to do, and I would rather he be on my side than be alone. At the same time though, I felt my heart sinking down to my toes; I had all but given myself up on a silver platter, in front of an audience, with no way out. I sighed, my shoulders slumping, hopelessness overtaking me.

As we began marching along, Bofur turned around to face Thorin. "Where's Bilbo?" he whispered, having just enough time to speak before being turned around. Thorin's head jerked up and he looked around, but there was no sign of our hobbit. Hope bloomed in my heart; maybe, just maybe, we had a chance after all.

Kili somehow managed to shoulder his way over to me, and we walked side by side, his comforting hand on my shoulder to make sure I didn't stumble. "Why would you do that?" he asked quietly, brown eyes wide. "You could have gotten away…?"

I smiled softly, bumping my shoulder with his in a friendly manner. "And left you behind?" I questioned, tilting my head a bit. "Never."

He smiled sadly. "Thank you," he said, "For saving me. Again," he added.

I bit my lip, thinking about my promise as we continued our trek through the forest, which seemed to be growing lighter. "It's nothing," I finally said, ignoring the question ing glances from the other elves who seemed to be wondering why my brother hadn't released me. I recognized several of them as some of the elven warriors from that fateful day two centuries before, and from the respectful looks they were giving me, I knew they remembered what I had done and respected me for it.

Kili's hand squeezed my shoulder gently. "It's not nothing," he said, frowning. "I owe you my life, Princess."

I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent until we exited the trees, walking over a bridge that spanned the Forest River that cut across Mirkwood. _"Close the gates,"_ my brother said to the guards as the company and I were bustled inside.

We were led down to the dungeons of the Woodland Realm, each assigned a cell but for me. Tauriel stood, her hand on my shoulder, as the other dwarves were imprisoned, and I winced at their yells.

"This is not the end of it! Do you hear me?!" Dwalin bellowed, glaring at the guard who was striding away from his cell.

"Let us out of here!" Bofur cried angrily, his smoldering gaze softening for a moment as it landed on me.

The dwarves began throwing themselves against the bars of their cells as Tauriel led me to an overhand above the prison, and I flinched each time their bodies rebounded against the bars.

"Arhhg...again!" Gloin yelled.

Balin, the voice of reason, called out, "Leave it! There is no way out! This is no Orc dungeon. These are the Halls of the Woodland realm. No one leaves here, but by the King's consent."

As I watched, the keeper of the keys let Thorin out of his cell and led him up to where Tauriel and I stood before leading the Dwarf king and I to my father's throne room. I was visibly shaking, terrified, and Thorin placed a comforting hand on my elbow, keeping my body from freezing up. The guards held me back in the shadows as my father spoke to Thorin; I didn't know if he knew I was there yet.

"Some may imagine that a Noble quest is at hand," my father said, a smirk on his ageless face as he paced back and forth beside Thorin, "A Quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself, suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary, or something of that ilk," he snarled. He paused and looked down at Thorin, examining him closely. "You have found a way in," he said, sounding vaguely surprised, ignoring the glare Thorin sent his way. "You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The King's Jewel: The Arkenstone." Thorin looked away. "It is precious to you beyond measure, I understand that," he said, turning and striding back to his throne. "There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight." His voice took on a longing tone. He bowed his head somewhat mockingly. "I offer you my help," he said, smiling as though Thorin couldn't refuse his offer. My lip curled in disgust.

Thorin smiled wearily. "I am listening."

"I will let you go, if you but return what is mine," my father said, his voice taking on a menacing tone.

"A favor for a favor," Thorin clarified, turning and striding to the edge of the platform. I tensed, and my guard tightened his grip on my shoulder, thinking I was going to fight. In reality, I was concerned for Thorin: he and I were similar in that we both had fiery tempers. I knew that if the Elvenking didn't choose his words carefully, Thorin would blow up, sentencing the company and I to an eternity in the dungeons of the Elves.

"You have my word," Thranduil said, "One King to another."

I closed my eyes, knowing that I would never be free again, but I opened them as Thorin spoke, my heart swelling with pride at the authoritative tone his voice carried. "I would not trust, Thranduil, the great King, to honor his word, should the end of all days be upon us!" Thranduil looked visibly shocked at Thorin's words, and I scowled, glaring at him. "You—lack all honor!" Thorin bellowed, turning around, "I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless; seeking your help. But you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! May you die in dragon fire," he spat in his own language.

Thranduil stepped forward and bent down so that the two kings stood face to face. "Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin." He closed his eyes, gasping, as burns began to appear on his face, eating away the skin and leaving bone and sinew in its place. He opened his eyes, revealing one to be milky white and blind, as disfigured as the rest of his face. I took a step back, frightened, and my guard didn't stop me. "I have faced the great serpents of the North," he stepped back, his face becoming perfectly smooth again, but I couldn't shake the memory of his skin dissolving from his skull."I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen." Thranduil walked up the steps to his throne. "You are just like him." He motioned for his guards, which grab hold of Thorin and hold him fast as he struggles against them."Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an Elf. I'm patient," he said, bending down, "I can wait."

As he sat down, his words still echoing through the hall, my guard dragged me forward. I couldn't help but wish that I had gone first: I now was faced with two hundred years of anger bent towards me, plus the indignation of being called a coward by another king.

"Your Majesty," the guard said, giving me a push, "the princess was found with the dwarves; she claims to have been leading them through the forest when we captured them."

He looked floored, completely stunned that I stood before him, but his surprise almost instantly gave way to anger. _"She is not a princess," _he bellowed_, "Not anymore."_ He stood from his throne and strode towards me, silver robes rustling. _"How dare you show your face here?" _he spat, sending the guards away_. "After you betrayed your people? You are more fortunate that I did not order you to be killed on sight, Traitor!"_

_ "You are the traitor, Father," I replied, fear creeping into my mind as he moved closer. "Thorin Oakenshield has good reason to hate you; you abandoned his people to death and fire!"_

_"I would not risk my people for his,"_ he spat. _"Does that make me a coward?"_

_ "Yes," _I replied softly.

_"Why did you come back?" _he asked, turning away from me.

_"To fulfill to the promise I made to protect the dwarves," _I replied smoothly, watching as he turned around, rage written on his face.

_"Even now you continue to act as a traitor!" _he bellowed. _"You would help our enemy?"_

_ "They are not our enemy, Thranduil!" _I yelled back as he turned his back on me. _"The only ill will among our people come from the seeds you yourself sowed two centuries ago!"_

_ "Do not speak to me like that," _he warned. _"I will give you a chance," _he said suddenly, his voice sickly sweet. I recoiled, suddenly afraid. _"A chance to gain your freedom."_

_ "I'm listening," _I replied, watching him carefully. His back still was turned to me, but we were close enough that we could touch if one of us were to reach out to the other.

_"Go with the dwarves," _he said, still facing the other way. _"Watch and listen. When the time comes, take what is mine and return it to me. I will forgive your disobedience, and you will be reinstated as Princess of the Greenwood."_

_ "You would have me lie and steal," _I clarified, disgusted. _"I decline your offer, you coward,"_ I spat, my voice rising to a shout. _"I am no longer loyal to you; I am loyal to Thorin Oakenshield and his kin, and I will _never _betray them!"_

He yelled and swung around, backhanding me so hard I fell back onto the floor, unable to catch myself due to my bound arms. A sharp pain flared up from my ribs, and I wondered if I could have cracked or broken something on the stone. The entire left side of my face stung, and I felt blood trickling down two cuts on my cheek and above my eye. _"Do not defy me, Traitor," _he yelled as blood from my split lip trickled down my chin and into my mouth. _"I could have you killed right now!"_

I spat the blood out of my mouth at his feet, feeling a sick satisfaction at the way his face flushed with anger. _"Then kill me," _I growled. _"You coward."_

He grabbed me by my hair and the neck of my tunic and yanked me to my feet before shoving me into the arms of one of the guards who had rushed up when the king had begun yelling. _"Throw her in the dungeon!" _he yelled, watching as I was dragged away. _"Since her alliance lies with dwarves, she will rot with them."_

Once we reached the dungeon, the guard unlocked one of the cells and threw me inside, locking the door behind me. Strong arms caught me as I fell and lowered me to the ground, and I heard familiar voices asking questions from outside the cell.

"Is she alright?"

"Is she hurt?"

"What did those bastards do to her?" Dwalin bellowed, who apparently had caught sight of me from his cell as I was dragged past.

"Aeyera, are you alright?" Kili asked. I opened my eyes, one of them rapidly swelling shut, to see his concerned face staring down at me. He gently probed the area around my cuts and I hissed in pain, unable to push his hands away because of my bound hands. "_Mahal, _Princess," he whispered, horrified. "I though elves were…"

"Civilized?" I offered, my voice sounding strange because of my split lip. I was having trouble breathing; my ribs were either broken or very badly bruised. "Kind? Honorable?"

Kili nodded. "Yes," he whispered.

"Not to traitors," I said softly. I closed my eyes. "Not to me."

He helped sit me against the wall before moving to the door of the cell and looking out. The first elf to walk by was Tauriel, and he stopped her. "Wait!" He called.

She stood still, looking at him curiously. After a moment, her gaze slipped past to me, and the color drained from her face. She hurried to the door and knelt down, looking over at me. "What happened?" she demanded, glaring at Kili as if he was the one who had hurt me.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied angrily. "Some guard threw her in here looking like someone had beat her!"

Tauriel looked stunned. "I-I don't—" she stammered, dumbstruck. Clearly she hadn't thought my father would resort to striking me.

"Can you bring me a cloth and some water, and some bandages?" Kili asked. When the she-elf didn't move, he lost his temper. "Please!" he yelled. Her amber gaze flicked up to his face, and she nodded. A second later, she was gone. He knelt down beside me and turned me around, fiddling with the tight knot in the rope.

"I have a knife in my right boot," I offered, wincing at the pain in my chest. He nodded and reached over to my boot, pulled the knife out, then began sawing at my bonds. A moment later, a _snap _sounded through the cell as the ropes fell off. I sagged against the dwarf prince in relief as Tauriel appeared holding what Kili had asked of her. He took them, nodding his thanks, and knelt down with my head in his lap as he began gently washing the blood off my face. I winced as the cloth made contact with the cut and he gripped my hands with his free one, murmuring comforting words to me as he worked.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Of course," he said, his voice tired and angry. "Why would he hit you?" he asked after several minutes. Tauriel had long since disappeared, and we were alone.

"I called him a coward," I said slowly. "He asked me to betray you, I refused. He hit me, and his rings cut my face. I landed on the stone, and I couldn't catch myself because of my bound arms. My fa—" I paused. "The Elvenking told me that he could have me killed right then, so I told him to do it, and I spat at him. After that, he sent me back here."

"I'm sorry," he said sadly. "I can not imagine any parent treating their child in such a manner, especially their daughter."

"Why a daughter?" I asked as he pressed a bandage against the cut on my cheek, gently smoothing it down.

"Because it is very rare for a daughter to be born of the dwarves," he said. "Less than one third of all dwarves are women, and therefore any dwarf lass is considered a true gem; a treasure."

"What of male children?" I asked curiously as he ran the cloth over my split lip.

"Because many dwarf women do not marry," he explained, "it is not often that any dwarflings to be born. But since there are two dwarf lads for every lass, the lassies are protected and hidden from harm more often that the lads, although all children are prized." I nodded in understanding. "This is why I do not understand why your father would treat you so badly."

"I goaded him into it," I said. When Kili opened his mouth to protest, I held up my hand to stop him. "I do not offer this as an excuse for his behavior," I said, "but as one explanation. Another is that the same sickness that seemed to affect Thorin's grandfather affects Thranduil, except that he longs for gems of starlight instead of for gold."

"_Mithril_," Kili said, understanding dawning in his gaze. "True-silver."

I nodded. "Yes."

"That still is no excuse—" Kili began ranting, anger in his voice, but before he could express all his anger, footsteps began echoing through the halls. Minutes later, my brother appeared with the keeper of the keys, his face pale and drawn.

"Aeyera," he said, his voice breaking as he motioned for the guard to unlock the door.

Kili placed his hand protectively on my shoulder, glaring up at my brother. "What," he growled, "Are you here to beat her too?"

Legolas stopped, frowning. "What are you talking about, Dwarf?"

"I'm talking about her father beating her before throwing her in here!" Kili's voice rose to a shout, and my brother's face turned ashen.

"I would never hurt my sister," Legolas whispered. "You have my word. I came to check on her; Tauriel said she was hurt."

"Don't touch her," Kili barked, his glare so deadly that my brother nearly left him alone.

"Kili," I whispered, placing my hand on his arm. My chest hurt so badly… "It's okay, he's telling the truth. He would never hurt me." I coughed suddenly, my whole body convulsing as I did so. Tears smarted in my eyes as I continued hacking, and when I pulled my hand away from my mouth, I saw that it was stained with blood.

Legolas knelt down beside me as Kili pulled my head back into his lap. He placed his hands on my ribcage, pressing gently on each rib. When he reached the fifth one, I cried out in pain, lurching backwards into Kili's chest.

"Hold her shoulders," Legolas said to Kili. "Her rib is broken; I need to set it. Bite on this," he said, pulling an arrow from the quiver on his back. I did so, squeezing my eyes shut and gripping Kili's hand tightly. "Look away," Legolas demanded, glaring at Kili. The young dwarf obeyed as my brother pushed my tunic halfway up my chest, exposing the rib but not exposing anything that would otherwise need to remain covered. "One," he said. "Two—" I turned my head, biting down on the arrow as my brother's fingers pressed down on the bone. "Three!" I screamed as the bone snapped into place, nearly breaking the arrow apart with my teeth as I arched my back in an attempt to get away. Kili and Legolas held me down; one of the first times an elf and a dwarf had ever worked together. This was repeated once more, and then my brother wrapped the area around the ribs tightly with bandages, which wound around my back and front, until they were held securely in place. "I do not know why the king would do this," my brother said in a menacing tone after my tears had subsided. "He usually is not like this."

"Yes," I gasped. "Normally he is like a ray of sunlight; it explains why he exiled his elfling daughter for trying to help someone then beating her the next time he sees her. Doesn't sound like him at all," I finished. The other two stayed silent for a while, and I lay quiet, drifting in and out of dreams.

"Legolas," Tauriel's voice echoed through the prison. "Your father demands your presence."

My brother stood, unlocked the gate, and then locked it again once he was outside. "Do not let her move around," he told Kili, "And do not let anyone take her out of this cell; I do not want her getting hurt."

"I'd die before I let anything happen to her," Kili said, his voice honest and open.

Legolas nodded, an odd combination of understanding and confusion in his gaze. "I know."


	8. Chapter 8

I'm not sure exactly how long we were stuck in the dungeons; perhaps only a week, perhaps several, but gradually my ribs healed. Kili took my brother's words to heart and did not let me up except when Tauriel came to take me to the washroom. The other dwarves, Kili most of all, were furious. Nearly all of them, besides being angry at elves in general for impeding their progress and locking them up, were fuming at the fact that my father had struck me. Perhaps they would not have been so angered if I had walked away unscathed, but since I was dragged back with two broken ribs, they now harbored a deep hatred for the Elvenking. If nothing else, it proved that they cared for me, which warmed my heart and gave me great joy: I finally felt that I belonged somewhere; that I had a people whom I cared for and who cared for me. However, the question of 'What happens next?' haunted me. _'What will happen when we reach the mountain? If Erebor is rebuilt, will the dwarves really allow an elf—the daughter of the king who left them to fire—to live with them?' _I immediately dismissed the thought. There was no chance of me living there, even if Erebor was retaken. Even if all the dwarves survived and would allow me to stay, I still could not do it. I needed to make the journey to the Grey Havens; I needed to sail to the Undying Lands. A small voice in my head continued pestering me. _'But why? What's the _real _reason you 'Have to leave'? Just answer the question. Answer it. It's not that hard, Princess, answer the question.'_

"Because I'm afraid!" I burst out suddenly, unable to silence the voice. Kili had fallen asleep, so I sat up against the wall, pulling my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees. "Because I'm a coward," I croaked, my voice breaking as tears ran down my face. "Because I'm lost, and I don't know what to do anymore!"

At the moment Kili woke up, the cobwebs of sleep instantly disappearing when he saw that I was sitting up instead of lying on my back. "Aeyera—" he stopped when he realized that I was crying, and he scooted over to me, frowning. He lay down beside me and gently pulled me down so that my head rested on his chest as I cried. "Lie down, Princess," he murmured, gently lowering me to the ground. One of his arms was around my shoulders, and the other rested over his chest. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking down at me in concern.

"It doesn't matter," I said, burying my head in his shirt.

He frowned. "Princess," he said sternly. "You are the strongest person I have ever known, next to my mother and uncle. If you're crying, something has to be wrong."

"It's just… I can't—" I choked. "There's this voice… in my head. I can't get it out, but it's right…"

"What's right?" he asked, confused. "A voice—? I don't understand…?"

"You wouldn't," I said sadly. "Ever since Dol Guldur, there's been a darkness in my mind. Now I feel like it's talking to me, pulling out my deepest fears and displaying them in front of me."

"What do you mean?"

"I—" I stopped. "I just… I'm a coward!" I burst out, my voice muffled by Kili's shirt. "I ran away when I was a child, and I've been running away ever since. I'm still running, and I don't… I don't even know where I'm going!" I was crying very hard by now, my tears soaking the prince's shirt as he pulled me closer to him.

"Aeyera," he said, "look at me." I looked up at Kili, my vision blurry with tears. "You are not a coward," he said gently, his voice firm.

"I am," I said, closing my eyes and clenching a handful of his tunic in my fist. "I am a coward."

"No you're not," he said sternly. "Do you know what I see when I look at you?" he suddenly asked. I shook my head, eyes still tightly closed. "I see a strong, beautiful young woman—elf, I mean—who is loyal and brave and true. I see someone who would never give up on her friends and who would give her life to protect those whom she loves. That is what I see. That is who you are. You are not defined by darkness, Aeyera," he said, lifting my chin up with his finger as I opened my eyes. He brushed the wetness off my cheeks, his brown eyes gazing wistfully into my own. "I wish you could see it."

I stared at him, my lips parted slightly. I blinked away the tears in my eyes, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. "No one's ever spoken to me like that before," I managed, unable to wrench my green eyes from his dark ones.

"I'm telling the truth, you know," he murmured, leaning closer. "I mean every word."

I leaned closer too, my heard beating out a drumroll in my chest. I closed my eyes, and just before our lips touched, I pulled away, turning my head.

"I'm sorry," the blushing prince said, looking away. "I shouldn't have… I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," I said, moving to sit against the wall and wincing at the ache in my chest. Kili gently placed his hands on my shoulders and moved me back to the ground, not wanting me to reinjure myself.

Kili moved to sit next to the gate and began fiddling with a small, dark stone, flipping it into the air and catching it, repeating the same action over and over as he did so. "What is it?" I asked looking over at him. I fixed my eyes on the stone, watching as the dim light of the prison reflected off of it.

"It is a Talisman," he replied, glancing at me. I looked at him curiously, and he continued, a dark look on his face. "A powerful spell is upon it; if any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone…" he shook his head. "They will be forever cursed!" He held up the stone, making me jump in surprise, and I frowned as he lowered it, a solemn look on his face. I made to turn away, and he spoke again. "Or not," he added. I turned my head to see that the solemn look had faded away, "Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing. It's just a token," he said, grinning childishly and laughing. I smiled back. "A Rune Stone," he said, looking down at the token cradled in his hands. "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

I tilted my head to the side curiously, blinking. "What promise?" I asked.

Kili looked up at me, looking sad. "That I would come back to her. She worries," he explained, tossing the stone into the air. "She thinks I'm reckless," he added, catching the stone and looking over at me innocently.

I raised my eyebrows, hiding a smile. "And are you?"

"Nah," he smirked, throwing the stone up. This time it bounced away, and I caught it before it could fall through a crack. I picked it up gently, lightly running my finger over its smooth surface.

"Sounds like quite the party they're having up there," he commented, glancing up at the ceiling.

"It is _Mereth Nuin Giliath_; The Feast of Starlight. All light is sacred to the _Eldar_, but the Wood Elves loves best the light of the stars," I said wistfully, wishing I could be where I could see the stars again.

"I always thought it is a cold light, remote and far away," he said softly, looking over at me.

I looked curiously at him, a smile gracing my lips. "It is memory," I said blinking again, "Precious and pure." We gazed at each other before I glanced down at the stone, holding it out for him to take. "Like your promise." Kili took the stone, making sure our fingertips brushed as he did so. I looked up at the stone, remembering. "I have walked there sometimes," I said softly. "Beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away and the white light forever fill the air."

"I saw a fire moon once," Kili said softly, his face lighting up. "It rose over the pass near Dunland—Huge! Red and gold it was, it filled the sky." I sat up a bit so that I didn't have to crane my neck to see him, and he continued speaking animatedly, eyes alight with the memory of it. "We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin; they were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then it appeared. This huge fire moon lighting our path. I wish I could show you…"

He trailed off for a moment, and I shifted slightly, eager to hear more. "What else have you seen?" I asked, brushing my hair out of my eyes. Because I had been forced to lie down for so long, my hair hung messily around my face, and I had been unable to braid it since the stretching movement made my ribs ache.

"Do you need help?" he asked hesitantly, instantly looking like he wished he hadn't said anything. "With your hair, I mean," he said hastily. The voices I had heard a moment before ceased suddenly, and I wondered why the dwarves had stopped their conversations.

"I could use some help," I smiled wearily, not understanding the weight of what Kili was asking me. He nodded and moved over so that he sat behind me, cross-legged on the floor. Tentatively, he took several strands of hair next to my face and began braiding them back towards himself, occasionally adding other pieces while he went. "Have you ever seen a star-shower?" I asked, looking straight ahead as he did the same small braid on the other side of my head.

"I haven't," he said, tugging gently on thee left braid. "I'm guessing you have?"

I sighed, a smile crossing my face as I remembered it. "Yes," I said softly, bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. "It was while I was travelling with the rangers; we had just crossed over into Rohan. It had been a long time since we had rested, but we still had a couple days to go until we reached Edoras, and Arathorn's father, Arador, had given me an urgent message that needed to be delivered to King Folcwineof Rohan."

"King Folcwine?" Kili repeated, confused. "I do not remember that name." He began braiding other small strains together, drawing them all back to my neck.

"That is because the king died two years later," I explained. "His son Fengel now reigns as king over Rohan, and has done so for the past forty-six years. Anyway," I continued my story, seeing it again in my mind's eye. "It was late, nearing midnight, when we finally stopped. The rangers would take turns taking watch, and Arathorn stayed up with me, since I didn't sleep. I was watching the mountains from atop a rock when a flash of light caught my attention. I looked around but didn't see anything else, so I thought I had been imagining it. A moment later, another spark caught my attention, and before long there were scores of stars falling across the sky. Not all at once, mind you," I added, "but in pairs of two or three, crossing each other's paths and disappearing only to be replaced by another, more brighter, star." I sighed, relaxing my shoulders. "I'll never forget it," I murmured wistfully. "I only wish I could live to see one again."

"Can't you?" Kili asked, a frown apparent in his voice. "You're an elf, aren't you? You of all people—"

"Kili," I stopped him, closing my eyes as he began gently twisting the hair atop my head. "Please don't."

"Why not?" he asked, bringing several of the smaller braids up and twisting them in with the larger ones.

I sighed and muttered something about the stubbornness of dwarves, but he wasn't shaken. "Don't asked me something you don't want to hear the answer for," I warned softly, feeling a soft tug near the nape of my neck. "Please."

"What if I do want to hear the answer?" he pushed gently, weaving the remainder of the small braids in with the main pleat, which reached halfway down my back.

"Trust me," I swallowed, my throat dry. "You don't want to."

He waited quietly for a few moments, before: "You're leaving, aren't you?" My silence was his answer, and I sighed, closing my eyes as he tied off the end of the braid. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice breaking.

I turned, looking up at him with wide eyes as he stared back down at me with weary brown ones. "I didn't want to hurt you," I whispered, staring back at him sadly.

"Not telling me and leaving would've hurt me more," he said softly.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, horrified to find that I was tearing up. "I just…" I trailed off, not knowing how to tell him the most important part of my story.

"What?" he asked, scooting closer to me. When I hesitated, he added, "You know you can trust me?"

"I know," I nearly gasped. After a moment of struggle, I blurted out, "I'm dying!" A blanket of silence reigned over the dungeon as Kili stared at me, wide-eyed and openmouthed, as he processed this new information. The voices outside, which had picked back up as I told Kili my story, had fallen silent again. Tension crackled in the air as Kili opened and closed his mouth several times, resembling a fish. After several minutes, he managed to gasp out, "You _what_?"

"I'm dying," I repeated, my voice cracking. I felt despair crash down on my like a hurricane and I curled in on myself, holding my knees to my chest even tighter than before. "I didn't want to tell you, because—because I didn't want you to get hurt, and—"

"Hey," he said, moving closer to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "I'm not… I'm not mad," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I'm glad you told me. But… you're _dying_? How?"

"You know how," I wailed into my knees. "I was stabbed my the Morgul blade, and I lost the will to stay in Middle Earth after Arathorn was killed, and—"

"Did you love him?" Kili blurted suddenly. I pulled me head up and turned to look at him incredulously, tear tracks still framing my face.

"Did I—did I love Arathorn?" I clarified, sniffing once at the mention of my old friend. Truly, I loved him, but as a brother and a friend, not the way that Kili clearly thought I did. "No," I said, turning to face the wall. "He was my dear friend, my brother-in-arms for the entire time we fought together, nearly fifty years, but I did not love him. At least not in the romantic way you clearly are thinking of," I added when I glimpsed his flushed face. "It broke my heart when I learned of his passing, though," I said softly. "I had not seen him in fifteen years, almost, but it still hurt more than you could possibly imagine. The Dúnedain often live hundreds of years," I explained, "And to have one fall at so young an age…" I shuddered.

"How old was he?" Kili asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"He was sixty when he died, according to the rangers with him," I said softly. "He would be nearly seventy now."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know how much he meant to you."

I sighed again, very aware of the rapt attention I was receiving from the rest of the company. "I know. And as much as it hurt to lose him, I knew that it'd hurt more to lose you. That's why I didn't tell you, I thought you'd hate me."

He touched my jaw with his finger, gently turning me to face him. He face held an expression of disbelief, and his eyes flickered with an emotion I wasn't well acquainted with—love. "I could never hate you," he whispered, moving closer to me. Unlike before, when I shied away from him, I moved closer, letting my eyes drift closed. "I love you," he whispered as our lips touched. After a moment, we both pulled away, gasping; I felt as if I had just been struck my lightning. I touched my lips, which were tingling pleasantly.

We both stared at each other with wide eyes, unsure of what we had just done. A guard walked passed, taking no notice of us, and I moved forward, closing the gap between us. Love ignited my heart, and I embraced the feeling, letting it surge through me. "I love you," I murmured, pressing my lips to his as his hand touched my face, the other pressed against the braid in my hair. His lips were soft, and they moved against mine slowly as I tilted my head, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other on his cheek.

"Oi," Dwalin's gruff voice came from the cell next door. "There'd better be some talking in a minute, unless you want me coming in!"

Kili and I pulled apart, blushing, and Kili grinned, his eyes sparkling. "Not a word to Fili," he whispered, "I'd never hear the end of it."

-O-

A week later, Kili and I were sitting next to each other, telling stories. Kili grinned at me as he finished giving a detailed description of Thorin's face when he and Fili nearly hit him with an arrow, piercing his shirt with it. I smiled back before a grim thought popped into my head. "Kili?" I murmured, frowning. He looked up, confused as to why my light mood had disappeared. "What now? What happens when we reach the mountain?" he frowned as I continued, as if the thought hadn't struck him before either. "Thorin will never allow this," I said lowly, staring at the ground, "And if we were to ever have children… your people would never accept someone who is half-elf into the line of Durin."

He remained silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice slow as if he were tasting every word before speaking it. "You know, Princess," he said his brows furrowing, "I don't think you're right about that." He looked up, a hopeful glint in his dark eyes. "My people, at least a few of them, know you as 'The Exiled Princess' who risked everything to help our people; they'd respect you. Besides, even if they didn't, it'd be my choice, not Thorin's, and not theirs." He moved closer, wrapping his arm around me and pressing his forehead to mine. "Besides," he added, his voice low. "I chose you a long time ago."

I turned, nuzzling my head into the crook between his shoulder and neck as we sat, curled together, in my father's dungeons. _'This, of course, is assuming we ever get out of here,' _I thought. I didn't speak my thoughts aloud, though; I couldn't bear to extinguish Kili's hope.


End file.
